Five Years Ago, Five Years to Come
by Tobmaster
Summary: It has been 5 years... a lot happens in five years... People change, people forget, but the important things aren't long forgotten. From the author of Naruto's Vixen, Uyoku Myou, and others. Join me in my first new journey through the Naruto Universe in 5 years as I focus on Hinata trying to pry into a blonde ninja's feelings and his new desire to end the pain of the ninja system.
1. Chapter 1

Five Years After... Five Years to Come

Chapter 1

* * *

This story is based on Naruto, all copywrites and trademarks still belong to their proper owners and I make no claim, implied or otherwise, to owning any piece of it. Only characters, likeness, and some plot direction has been borrowed from the original owners. This is for entertainment purposes only and not for any profit what so ever. A big thanks goes out to Kishimoto for his famous works.

* * *

Five years after…

Five years is a long time in a young person's eyes. In this time cities can become metros, relationships can bloom and shrivel, and even authors can disappear into thin air just to return for one final excursion into creativity. Many things can come to pass which shape a person's life in five years; both hardships and blessings, but, concurrently, the same five years can be too short.

In five years you can accomplish little; so little in fact that you are just letting life pass you by without realizing you aren't holding on to anything, or _**anyone**_. Time can pass so quickly that one can actually lose themselves in work, only to look at the sky one day and realize that time has gone by without even attempting to grasp your meaning and purpose in life. People can pass you by in an instant, so fast that you can't even wonder if there was something between you and that girl you just met or even why you no longer talk to that friend of yours from way back. Life can just skip by you while your mind slips unvisited memories to the back of your consciousness from neglect.

In five years you forget; forget the faces of ones you once cared for, the feelings you once had, and even conversations that were so important that you thought you would never have to think about to remember. Dreams you once had, desires which were left unfulfilled, and even who you once were can fade away in the dark overcast recesses of your mind never to see the light which holds your frequented and treasured memories. You can forget wrongs done to you as well as the positives done for you, leaving your life and who you are to be shaped only by the passage of time.

Five years is an interesting time frame. It feels like eternity as you are growing up. It feels like a blink of an eye when you're older. Even your life can take unseen changes and turns bringing you to another point in the confusing time-line that is life. After all these changes of time, time-frames, memories, goals, triumphs, defeats, utter joy, and teetering on the brink of death, there are still questions left unanswered by the most intelligent of persons which beg to be solved but is still out of the reach of modern man to this day.

Why am I here? Where did I come from? Is there _**someone**_ out there who can understand ME?

* * *

Five years after…

It has been five years after the end of "the end of the world". Five years after the end of violence, persecution, hate, and despair brought down by those shaped by the previous five years, and most likely the five preceding them. Five years since Akatsuki, Pain, Madara, and Tobi attempted to overthrow and/or destroy Konohagakure. Five years since the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, where our blonde hero played the greatest role in ending the fight, where almost all had lost hope moments before his arrival…

Five years after… is now…

Now 22 years old, Naruto is no longer the orange clad ninja boy everyone grew to love despite their hate from years previously, he has now matured as a man. His thick muscular build is the epitome of masculinity as many would see from afar, yet there was a softness not seen in many of his caliber. His piercing blue eyes glittered in the midday sun like the deepest, bluest, oceans man had ever gazed upon. Gone was the overwhelming harshness of the terrible orange coloring which used to adorn him in his attempt for attention as it was finally impressed upon him that it was _not _a great ninja color. There were still a few stitches of orange, flaring down the sleeves of his black jacket, revealing that his playfulness still exists behind his matured and relaxed attitude. The rugged denim material of his pants and jacket concealed many small pockets to which stored kunai, shuriken and other various tools and necessities for the various missions he would be involved in without showing their designed purpose.

The Hitai-ate, which adorned his forehead, was an evolution of his last design. Still the same piece of metal which was given to him by Iruka when he became a genin; it was now dulled from the brilliant sheen which used to reflect light for miles making for an easy target from afar. Everything he wore now was strictly for a purpose, including the folds of material mounting that precious plate, which could unfold into a bandana to restrict his easily distinguished hair from view. He was much different than before and could blend in with the best of them.

The past five years molded this trained ninja into the ultimate warrior of Konoha with his new found stealth and ever present confidence. His seasoned, steely gaze could freeze an unprepared ninja in his tracks while his gentle smile could make married women blush as he passed by without a glance. It was an interesting turn of events for him, although much stayed the same… Not a blade of grass could move unnaturally without catching his eye, yet he still failed to notice these alluring glances scattered about him when returning from a mission.

In the five years after the war, not much was accomplished in the eyes of the few, whereas the majority could see the age of great prosperity was indeed upon them. The village's rebuild plan continued its course and was approaching the much desired completion. To make matters more interesting, the smaller neighboring towns and villages needed assistance as well, evidenced by the constant mission requests rolling though the front gates of the Hokage's tower. Although the missions were plentiful, they weren't of high level, but still paid well and were greatly needed to expand Konoha's coffers.

Naruto was recognized as an exceptionally powerful ninja immediately after the drawn out war where he took an integral part. Due to the massive losses in the war, and the increase in missions needing to be completed, it was deemed necessary to divide up the current teams into the smallest group required to complete the various missions. Most were cut down to pairs, except for Naruto, who was allowed to be a one man team most of the time with his special ability with clones and his new found recognition. It was a tiring job, but he didn't give much for complaints as he just threw himself into his work.

As the nation's only solo ninja, Naruto had to temper his boisterous side to increase his safety during his missions. Even though the ninja nations retained their alliances, there were still strong missing nins at large. If he ran into someone dangerous, there would be no one to bail out his carelessness and reckless behavior, so his changes were all realized through the necessity of staying alive. His changes were easily achieved with the help of gained maturity derived from age and experience; of which the latter he had plenty through his clone usage. It was seemingly strange how being alone most of the time can create loud and obnoxious behavior as well as cure it, but here was living proof of this phenomenon. Even though he wasn't obnoxious like before, he still had glimmers of that juvenile side that would crop up from time to time reminding everyone that he was still the same person who pulled all those annoying pranks in his youth. That mischievous grin would forever live in the hearts of the villagers as they remembered his earlier antics.

It was truly a blur for the blonde ninja as the five years passed. The questions he had after each battle in the past, especially the blur in which all the events of the Pain fight took place, were pushed further and further out of his immediate consciousness to the point that it was all just a meaningless pile of jumbled memories. Even that whole ordeal with Hinata's confession seemed to fade into nothingness without having the chance to reflect upon it. All the body-guarding, build assistance, and intelligence gathering missions just kind of seemed to flow and mix into one another to the point that there seemed to be no start or end to any of his missions despite the growing bank account in his possession.

These same five, short, busy, and sometimes seemingly long, years weren't only a bane to Naruto's existence, but to many of the others as well. The hectic mission schedule prevented much of the interaction the ninjas were accustomed to resulting in the falling out of many friendships and the cooling of many old desires once held in high regard. The tightly knit teams of old were long gone as the usual members would be grouped with the younger chuunin for their paired up missions creating many more possibilities, combinations, and possible romantic encounters than previously possible without breaking up the teams. It was a benefit and a curse, but as the missions start to subside to their usual volume, these overworked ninja will finally get a chance to rest and determine if their past friendships were just out of convenience or if it could actually stand the test of time…. Or maybe they have all grown past their previous relations and desires in favor of their new ones.

* * *

It was a bright and sunny afternoon as the trees started to fade into shades gold and red heralding in the coming winter season. Squirrels were seen gathering up the required sustenance for the onslaught of cold weather which was soon to be experienced. Naruto shielded his glistening eyes from the rays of sun piercing through the ever depreciating foliage ahead as he watched a flock of migratory birds fade into the horizon.

"How long has it been since I took a moment to enjoy nature?" he asked himself before hurrying his steps when he saw the massive gates leading to Konoha.

He steadily gained momentum as the shadows cast off the gates increased in size displaying the inevitable coming of dusk. With a simple rise of his eyebrows, he silently greeted the gatekeepers on duty as he headed to the Hokage tower for his most recent mission debriefing. The village seemed less frantic than usual as he weaved through the busy streets while returning the many greetings of the villagers who recognized his status as a ninja. He had been out of the village so much recently that just by a simple glance, no villager would really recognize him, but that was to be expected. Deciding that he had wasted enough time wading through the scads of villagers, taking care of their last minute business before the local shops closed for the day, he disappeared in a sudden flash of light.

A tiny light seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of an empty hallway before bathing the walls in a brilliant and nearly blinding light, which subsided quicker than it arrived, revealing the muscular ninja in its place. He was shocked as he looked around the deserted hallway since it was usually bustling with chuunin and jonin clamoring to get their next mission. Not dwelling on the situation for too long, he headed down the hall and pushed open the door into the Hokage's office.

Tsunade looked up past the rims of her gold rimmed bifocals towards her new intruder. With a slight smile on her aging face, despite her rejuvenation jutsu, she waved to him to approach her desk. Pushing aside the paperwork, she removed her glasses, setting them on the rather large stack of papers, and proceeded to rub her temples softly to ease away the discomfort of her lenses.

"Another one completed?" She asked in a soft voice. You could tell that her age was getting the best of her, despite her appearance. She seemed to move slower and talked softer than before displaying just how much time was taking its toll. Add that to the fact that she greatly reduced her drinking in recent years as well shows that she knows it too.

"Went without a hitch, baa-chan." he replied in a satisfied tone. Although he looked and acted much more mature, there was still no hiding the fact that he was Naruto and would always greet the sannin in such manner.

"Where is everyone?" He asked as his curiosity got the better of him. Tsunade relaxed in her chair and placed her hands behind her head and let out a tired sigh.

"Well, it would seem or mission surplus has ended." She let out a large yawn as she stretched her limbs carefully.

"We all finally get a few weeks off, so enjoy them." Naruto was slightly taken aback by her revelation. It has been so long since the idea of time off even was thought of for the working ninja.

"Really? I don't even know what to do with free time." He replied with a slightly relieved look crossing his visage. Tsunade reached for the chain on her desk lamp and clicked it off while standing from her chair.

"Go home and rest a bit, you'll figure it out soon enough." She pushed her hands against her back to help her straighten out while silently cursing the size and weight of her chest at her old age.

"When are you taking over?" she muttered under her breath so he couldn't hear. No one really every talked about her retirement or replacement, they just figured it would just happen one day without fuss; everyone already knew who was a shoe in for the position, but for some reason there was something holding the transition back. Had the blonde pushed the matter, it would surely expedite it.

"Home... Now that would be something..." he muttered while looking a little down trodden.

"I guess I could look for one." After the destruction of Konoha during the Pain event, Naruto never had his place rebuilt. It just didn't seem worth it to him to occupy an empty space for so long; it wasn't like he ever really stopped in town long enough to require a place to call home. Tsunade shooed him out of her office while set upon locking the door for the night. As much as she really wanted a drink, she wanted to get some needed rest even more.

"See ya around baa-chan." Naruto called out while making a small gesture with his hand.

"Good night." she called in reply.

* * *

Naruto looked out at the village, which was quickly emptying out, while the sun faded into brilliant red shades before ducking out behind the distant horizon leaving a small reddish glow across the sky. Somehow the daily passage of time always happened differently if you really noticed the differences from day to day. Naruto let a faint smile cross his face; he had just stopped for the second time that day to watch nature at its finest. The last time he did all that was five years ago.

Night had fallen over Konoha... The street lights flickered to life along the main traveling roads leaving most of the village cast in a pitch black shadow in comparison. A few villagers hurried their way home as the distinct chirp of a few of the last cricket sounded before they would disappear for the coming cold season. Letting out a contented sigh, Naruto watched as the vapors of his breath glided out across the gentle night air.

"Looks like it could be a cold one." He waited for a moment to see if Kurama, the sleeping beast within, had anything to say. All he heard was the quiet call of a lone wolf in the distance and the illusion snoring deep within him. Kurama did stay very quiet when the cool season started, only waking up if and when his power was needed and could usually be found sleeping, just like a normal fox would be in his den.

Shrugging it off like a usual occurance, Naruto headed towards the large building in the distance which was lit up bright enough to seemingly call all visitors to it. As he leisurely strolled along the road, he noticed just how foreign his very own village was. Everything changed during the rebuild, so much so that off the top of his head, he couldn't even remember where the new Ichiraku's opened up. Before he realized it, he was standing before the doors of the lit up building. He cracked open the large door to the tavern and stepped into the door way and instinctively checked out all the exits and did a quick scan of the noisy bar and dining area. A young woman, maybe a bit older than he was, stepped up to greet him with a smile. She wore a clean white apron and had a white cloth towel tied around her head to keep the hair out of her face.

"Welcome to Ichiraku's Tavern! Is it just you tonight or do you have a party waiting?" She waited for a long few moments as the blue eyed ninja seemingly stared at her intently. Soon a hint of movement was seen in his light streaked, right cheek, making a half smile. The young woman blushed a bit as she averted her gaze with the sudden attention.

"Just one Ayame... Just for a room." Naruto replied kindly. It took him a few long moments at the beginning to recall where he had seen that face before, but once she said the word 'Ichiraku's', he immediately pulled that faint memory back from the depths of his consciousness. Ayame looked puzzled as she disappeared to retrieve a key for one of their rooms for this strange black garbed man. When she returned, Naruto stepped out of the shadow of the doorway, letting the light accentuate the orange highlights on his jacket and glimmer in his cerulean eyes.

"Oh hi," She gasped as she was suddenly caught off guard by his change in position. She looked him over very carefully, being a little more thorough than with most men that came through the door. Her mouth slowly started to open as her hand rose up to cover the exposed opening. Naruto's grin turned into a full blown smile when he figured that she finally recognized him.

"Naruto!? What has it been; like five years or something?"

"Something like that." He was glad to see Ichiraku's was still going despite losing his very profitable patronage. He held out his hand for the key, startling Ayame. She paused before slowly lowering the key to his hand with a questioning glance. Seeing this gaze, Naruto answered before she could ask.

"I never rebuilt after the destruction... just didn't feel right." She gave him a curt smile at his answer and pointed him towards where his room was located.

"If you need anything give me a call." She gently urged before hurrying back to the door to greet the next customers that entered the place of business. Naruto made his way through the dining area, catching the eyes of a few of the ninja who were visiting from outside of the village. He thought he remembered some of them, but nothing came to mind before ascending the stairs and slipping inside the door to his room. He didn't even bother turning on a light but easily found the bed and crashed hard. His eyelids grew heavy as he caught a glimpse of the full moon between the curtains. He stared at it for a few seconds until his eyes drew to a close.

"The moon... I know it should remind.. me of... some...one..." His exhausted muttering faded as he fell fast asleep, not being able to remember who the moon reminded him of.

* * *

...Later


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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The next day started with the relaxing sound of small raindrops pattering across the roofs of the village's buildings. Outside was dark and foggy as the rain made its direct journey to the ground while the sun struggled to light and warm the land through the heavy atmosphere. It was just one of those days where you could imagine yourself sleeping away the morning after peaking out the window. In Naruto's case, he never even managed to look out the window and just slept the day away. Five years of constant work takes its toll, but you never quite realize it until you are allowed to rest with no interruptions.

It was nearly 4pm by the time the sun's powerful rays finally broke through the clouds, burning off the remnants of the overcast day in the process. That brilliant light forced it way through the windows treatments at the tavern, bathing all the rooms in the life providing light. The sudden change in lighting managed to cause the stirring of one ninja who had yet to start the day.

Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped open and were soon blinded by the single shaft of light beating down on his eyes. He quickly rolled over, away from the light, and proceeded to figure out what the dream was that snapped him from his sleep. Unfortunately the dream faded into darkness quicker than he was able to recall anything from it. It always seemed that the more you'd like to remember a dream the quicker it fades from memory. The faded dream was really nothing to dwell on since more often than not; you don't get to remember them anyways. He pulled himself up from the bed and stretched out his limbs in an attempt to feel more awake and alert. With a refreshing yawn, he headed off to prepare himself for the rest of the afternoon.

After being rather surprised at just how late it was, Naruto grabbed his large black overcoat, adorned with a bright orange flame designs on the lower hem and sleeves, and headed down to the lower level to locate a much needed meal. His current outfit was unmistakably his; a throwback to his late father's style with his own adjusted tastes mixed in. As currently dressed, some would argue that it was the second coming of the Yondaime Hokage…

The lower level of the tavern was mostly void of patrons since it was a little early for the evening rush and definitely too early for the nightlife to start up. It was a clean and classy restaurant setting with a long and rustic looking bar at the other end; a big step up from the old cart style restaurant he was accustomed to seeing in his younger days of raiding the ramen stand. Even though the place was completely different, there was just no denying that the rich salty smell was Ichiraku's signature scent. Sucking in a large volume of air through his nostrils brought an almost childish smile to his face.

"Hey old man!" He called out while still grinning like a mad man towards the abandoned bar. He took a seat at one of the high stools and waited for the arrival of the usual face. An unknown guy came around the corner, dressed obviously like a bartender, and met the younger man's gaze.

"Well, I aint that old." He replied with a hit of detest in his voice. Naruto's grin subsided a bit after realizing that it wasn't Teuchi coming out to greet him.

"Oops, sorry wasn't expecting someone else." This was one of those moments when the old Naruto shined through this matured man. He was nervously scratching his head in that way that was all his own.

"Pay no mind…" Came the bartender's response. "What'll ya have?" he asked as a coaster was tossed onto the wooden surface before him, followed by a tall glass of ice water.

"I'll have some ramen…"

"OK… one ramen. Which flavor?" Obviously Naruto hasn't been back to this place in quite some time or he'd already know the answer to that one.

"Actually, one of each," came his cheerful reply as his previous grin spread back across his face.

"Hope you're not trying for the record, even those Akamichi's gave up a few years ago. We made a pretty penny on them." The bartender pointed towards a wall where there was a small blurry picture of a kid with a smile almost larger than his face nursing an oversized stomach stretching beyond the limits of his orange jumpsuit. Under the picture was the inscription 'Record Holder - 15 bowls in 45 minutes – beat the record, eat for half price'.

"You know; it has been a while…. Let's go for it; why not?" The bartender just shook his head and went back to kitchen to place the order. Although 15 bowls didn't really seem like a lot, the record still held because of Teuchi secretly rigging the contest by increasing the size of the bowl by 25% when he reopened after the rebuild and imposed the time limit. An Akamichi could easily consume that volume but never quite had the technique down for speed, unlike one who lived off the stuff.

The smell of fresh ingredients permeated the tavern, causing the wait to be almost unbearable. Just the thought of tasting the flavorful broth packed with numerous noodles, meats, and the occasional vegetables had his mouth nearly dripping with saliva in anticipation. Just before his hunger overwhelmed him, he saw the first bowl arrive from around the corner. The steaming bowls of deliciousness was slid in front of the eagerly awaiting customer.

"Much better than cup ramen…" Naruto snapped his chopsticks and got right to it. He took his time savoring the delicacy of the perfectly cooked noodles, the tenderness of the meat and overall balance of everything adjusted with the correct seasonings to compliment the fragrant broth. To him it was the closest thing to heaven as he could get in the current world; that was until he saw a large tray with numerous bowls stacked upon it. Slurping up the last of the first bowl he watched with anticipation as the massive tray was placed on the counter.

"That just keeps getting heavier every time." Naruto immediately knew that voice behind the stack of bowls. Seeing the ever familiar smile of the man who took pride in his noodles look up at him, brought back all the memories of Ichiraku's and the man with whom he talk to the most in the village.

"Half price, right?" The famished ninja asked with a greedy smile.

"Hito; get the camera ready… I've got a feeling we'll have a new picture to put up." Teuchi was overjoyed at seeing the return of his best customer. Even if Ayame didn't tell him he was there, there was no way that appetite for ramen could be anyone other than Naruto.

Naruto left the tavern with a satisfied grin, still rubbing his stomach to ease the wonderful pain of his feast. Looking out across the village, he realized that it just seemed so foreign. Spending so much time out of the village after the rebuild never let him get used to the new town. As strange as it was, he probably knew other villages better than his own. Hoping there might be something nostalgic still standing, he leapt high to the top of a huge light post in the center of a small plaza with a happy smile. As he gazed out in all directions, his smile faded to a look of disappointment; everything looked different than how he remembered it from the time he returned after training with Jiraiya. He knew that the village was completely obliterated in the fight with Pain, but at least hoped something was restored to the way he remembered it.

"At least one thing stayed the same." He commented quietly while looking at the faces on the Hokage Monument. The closest he could come to something resembling his child hood was a small park in the general area of his old training grounds where Team 7 used to meet up at. Although it wasn't the same, it still looked enticing for a quick nap…

* * *

"Fresh fruit! Get the freshest fruit in Konoha! If you want produce, we got it!" called out a vendor to anyone looking to purchase. The market section of Konoha was a bustling place these days. With the alliance still in effect, Konoha got to see plenty exotic and rare food items brought in by the traveling farmers from distant lands. Since everyone got their food from the market on a regular basis, it also became a major hotspot for local gossip; if you wanted to know anything about anyone, it could be gotten here.

A small, young looking woman made her way through the busy marketplace. She held a small basket with a few choices of fruit and other produce purchased inside while inspecting the other wares being sold for something that just may catch her eye. Her steps were smooth and gentle when maneuvering around the many villagers without even the slightest touch against her thin beige jacket. Many of the village's men have been known to make a trip to the marketplace just to watch the athleticism and grace of the dark haired woman. She continued on her way until overhearing a conversation at one of the stands. Now she wasn't one who was into that whole gossip scene, but some conversations were just too interesting to ignore.

"Ayame, what brings you back already? Did Choji try for the record again?" Asked the vendor standing before the girl while loading up a bag full of different items. The brown haired girl just snickered in reply.

"Nope, but the new record stands at 20 bowls." She responded, matter of factly.

"20? Of the new bowls?" The vendor once had a grand idea about attempting the challenge until he saw the size of the bowls. He managed to make it through two before realizing why they sold the "small" size at almost half the price of the "regular". He just stood there hoping Ayame was 'pulling his chain'

"A whole 20…" She started "… I wouldn't have believed it myself if I didn't already expect it to happen. I mean really, it has been over five years since he set the first one; you would expect at least as much…." The conversation continued, but the eves dropping woman stopped being able to hear past the sound of her heart beating in her ears. She leaned up against a wall to brace her as she tried to calm herself down. She looked up towards the sky just to catch a glimpse of something black and orange streak across her view.

"Naruto-kun…" she mumbled under her breath. With five years having passed by without even the slightest attempt by him to address her confession, she tried to force herself to move past what she felt since it seemed obvious that he didn't view her in the same way. She went out on "sort of" dates in an attempt to get over it, but no matter the guy it still just didn't seem right. Deeming it a lost cause, she just completely gave up and resigned herself to growing old on her own. Her family wanted her to be happy and reluctantly supported her decision despite their advice. It didn't seem all that bad to her as the time went by quickly, but the few times she saw him run by on the way to a mission or even the smile she thought he threw her way on his way back from another one would instantly cause her heart to flutter making it hard to breathe until she calmed down. For some; five years just isn't nearly enough to forget…

* * *

Naruto landed softly in the plush grass in the park he spotted from afar just as the sun started to fade away. The grass was soft and inviting, but unfortunately the results of the early rain remained upon the earthen ground preventing the desired grass nap. He wandered around the seemingly abandoned park while mindlessly touching the trunks of the young trees growing for shade. Although this was a completely different park, he seemed drawn to the small swing set where he lazily plunked down. He slowly rocked on the swing in every different direction possible, even twisting from the left and back to the right, all the while staring off into the setting sun.

"Hey! Knucklehead!" saddened blue eyes snapped to attention in the direction of the intruding voice. Some of the sadness lifted at the sight of his pink haired teammate of old. Her look wasn't as harsh as when they were younger; similar, but just a touch of softness mixed in. Aside from the elegantly matured visage, she still looked the same as she did five years previous. She made her way to the other swing and eased herself onto the platform where she soon mimicked the movements of her neighbor.

"Everything OK? You look like a friend died." Naruto chuckled a little; even after all these years, she still had no tact.

"Actually, " He started while looking into her green eyes. "Things have been great. I really couldn't even dream that everything I wanted could come true. I'm not tormented by Kurama, the villagers like me, and my fellow ninja respect me."

"So why the look?" She watched as he turned back and watched as the last signs of the setting sun disappear into darkness, causing the lights in the park to flicker on.

"That's the thing Sakura…" He paused for a while, watching the movements of the mulch he was disturbing with his feet. "I have no idea." He continued, "I should be happy with all my accomplishments, it was all I could think of, when I was younger, but now… it just feels like there is a hole. I feel like… until I fix this, there is no way I can make the push for Hokage."

"Have you always had this feeling?" Sakura asked in interest. Through the years, she had known him to be loud, obnoxious, brash, and seemingly oblivious to any emotion other than positive ones. It was unusual to see him in his current state.

"Kind of, but it got worse in the past three years… Kind of like a hunger that can't be satisfied." Sakura started laughing quietly gaining the annoyed attention of the person next to her.

"What is so funny Sakura?" He demanded as her chuckling started to elicit some feelings of anger about some inside joke she was keeping to herself.

"Nothing…" she replied as she stifled her laughter just before gaining a glitter of mischievousness in her eyes "Just one question; when was the last time you were with a girl?"

"Huh? Just last week… I helped finished the roofing on a shop the next town over." He retorted with a dumbfounded look on his face. He just couldn't seem to figure out what being with a girl had to do about anything. There were tons of girls that he had been with over the years.

"I don't mean just been with I meant _been __**with**_." She purposely drew out the last words in an attempt to draw attention to the hidden meaning of the phrase.

"Huh…?" Sakura jumped up from the swing and got behind Naruto and started pushing on his shoulders while he was still confused as to what she was talking about.

"Stand up!" She ordered with authority. Still with disordered thoughts, he reluctantly gave into her demands. "Now go." She shoved him hard in the direction of town. He looked back at her over his shoulder with the questioning look still on his face.

"You can find what you're missing in this village." Usually not one to steer him completely wrong, he took a few steps in the direction she pointed him to before turning around. He was opening his mouth to ask for something, but she cut him off.

"The only hint I'll give you is that you can find what you're missing is in a girl's possession. Everything else you have to figure out on your own." She shouted to him across the distance. She shook her head before turning around and heading towards home. She took a few steps before large arms wrapped around her small body and pulled her in tightly.

"Thanks Sakura." He whispered quietly while holding his hug. Sakura felt a shiver run down her back caused by the warm breath gracing the side of her cheek. Naruto released his hug and smiled wide before running off towards the village. The pink haired kunoichi rubbed her hand gently across her cheek.

"Still an idiot…" She silently headed back to her home for the night, hoping that her old friend could remember who he was supposed to find, but knowing him, he was sure to make a fool of himself before he found her.

* * *

Naruto strolled along the cobblestoned road with a small bounce in his step. He was feeling just a little better about himself, and his situation, knowing that there was at least some hope for him to cure that hollow feeling in his chest. He soon found himself standing in front to the tavern doors once again, knowing full well that if he didn't want to waste his free time, he would have to find what it was that a 'girl' has that he would need.

The large wooden doors creaked in reluctance to wanting to move on it hinges, but none the less gave way to the strength of its opener. It looked much like the previous night; tons of people enjoying their meals and/or alcohol. With all the voices permeating the area, everything sounded like a mass of confusion. He let the door swing back to its original resting place and acknowledged Ayame's light smile while making his way to the bar where Hito eagerly awaited his return.

"There he is, the beast himself." Hito greeted Naruto, after he got situated on the bar stool. "Not here for seconds are you?" he asked, this time actually seriously wondering after the spectacle he saw a few hours earlier.

"Nah, I'll be good till tomorrow." The ninja assured with a smile.

"Anything I can get for ya then?" after looking around the building quick he turned to the bartender.

"Actually, have you seen any other ninja in here tonight, it has been a while since I talked with any of them." Hito motioned towards a table on the far side of the tavern which was partially hidden on the other side of a partitioning wall. Once being pointed out, you could tell it was a rowdy group with at least one person sloshed with their unstable hand gestures while conversing with the others at the table. Naruto motioned a silent 'thanks' and made his way through the tavern to meet this person. As he got closer he had a really decent guess as to who it was just by the simple Chinese style outfit. If it wasn't for the foreign clothing he wouldn't have been able guess by looking at the back of her since she was wearing her hair down at this particular time. It would seem as though TenTen was on a little 'girls night out' excursion once the women at the table came into view. Out of the five total, including TenTen, there was probably only one other ninja in the group just going off of her anxious stature as he approached sneakily from behind TenTen and reached out to her left shoulder.

"Hey, long time…" the drunken woman was violently startled when she felt the sudden contact and vocal surprise. Out of instinct, she swung her right hand around, still holding a mostly empty sake bottle, in an attempt to punch the offending party. Naruto quickly countered by grabbing the assailing wrist, pulling her, and her chair, around to face him.

"That's a nice way to greet someone." She examined his strong chest carefully as she slowly made her way up to meet his gaze.

"Wow…" She muttered quietly until the facial features registered with her. "Oh, Naruto!?" She tried to shake of her dreamy, drunken, glazed over stare. "Come sit… thars are a few girls I'd like fer you ta meet."

Naruto missed the obvious setup and decided to take a seat and have a conversation with the young women. 'Who knows,' he decided 'I may find out what it is that I need from a girl' He talked with the group for a little while he told a few funny snippets of TenTen's earlier days and she teased him about his earlier antics as well. Everyone enjoyed themselves during the conversation and without really knowing how he ended up getting a date for the following day with one of the friends of the other kunoichi. TenTen made sure to give strict instruction to him, although it all was a bit of a slur, so he just managed to get the time.

Natsuki, The fair skinned girl with slightly shorter than shoulder length green hair smiled sweetly, and gave a small wave, before having to help the other four girls get TenTen out of the Tavern. Naruto smiled to himself; she was a cute girl and would seem to be fun to talk to away from the others. He looked forward to the date and headed back up to his room to rest up for the coming activities. When he ascended the stairs he thought about the idea of going on his first real date, but still had that nagging feeling that he was forgetting something, maybe even something important.

Morning came as brilliantly as the sun, washing out the land in its blinding light.. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day; as long as you were looking from a window in a warmly heated room. The night's passing brought a bone chilling cold with it and it was looking as though it would stick around for a while.

* * *

Naruto stepped out into the cold atmosphere shielding his face as that initial blast of freezing air struck his bare skin. A strong shiver shook his solidly built body when the cold seeped deeper. With a brisk popping of his collar, he tempered the chill from his body and headed out to meet up with his date.

Despite the horrid chill in the air, the streets were still bustling with life throughout the shopping district. With all the people left unhindered by the weather roaming the area, it took Naruto about 25 minutes to leisurely walk to the small apartment complex. He had plenty of time so there was no point in hurrying. The apartments were a much cleaner design than the old shamble where he once lived and was actually a little bit glad that the town was destroyed so there wouldn't be anyone that had to live like he did. He approached the entrance to the apartment with the numbers posted as he remembered being told and gave the knocker a few gentle taps

"Hi." Greeted the gentle little voice "Come in for a sec while I get my coat."

Naruto entered the small, warm apartment and watched as she gathered everything in preparation for going out. While watching the small girl, he noticed just how wonderfully built she was. Nice rounded hips and a quite ample bosom were predominantly accentuated by her clothing choice. Her face was as gentle as her smile which she went to great lengths to dress up with the strategic usage of makeup and jewelry.

"Ready?" She asked while pulling on a large gray coat.

"Sure." he replied with a happy grin. "Anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Mmm, not really; surprise me." She giggled back.

'This sure is nice' He thought to himself. It was the first time in his 22yr long life where he could walk next to a beautiful girl who was there to be with him. It wasn't long before he started wondering what it would be like to actually be told that he was loved by someone special. The thought brought a sense of wonder and a glimpse of satisfaction from that strange feeling. The moment that thought entered his mind he abruptly stopped, catching the look of his partner for the morning.

"What's wrong?" She asked, with the sound of actually caring in her voice. The seasoned ninja looked at her caring gaze and smiled, pushing his distressing thoughts out of the way.

"Nothing... I think... kinda just one of those deja-vu moments." She giggled softly before reaching out and latching onto his arm with a slight blush washing over her face. Going with the indications, he allowed her to guide him into the shopping district, just down the road from the produce market. The area was still filled with people going about their business and it almost seemed like it was even busier than earlier despite the increasing chill in the air. As they moved from shop to shop just looking at all the neat little trinkets, it was nearly impossible to avoid bumping into people. There was the usual brushing by of patrons and a few harder bumps that could cause items to be dropped, but that is the hazard everyone is aware of when entering a busy marketplace. The pair continued on, happily enjoying the moment together, oblivious to the world around them.

* * *

The crisp air was pulled deeply into the small lungs of a dark haired kunoichi. She jovially hummed a quiet tune, just enjoying the brisk air. She felt cozy in her warm fur lined jacket and felt the day was going to be a good one. While feeling good about the day she decided to skip the usual market run and look at some of the fancier shops on the other side of the marketplace. She weaved through the oncoming onslaught of people effortlessly in her dance-like motions. It was when she was looking eagerly at some little trinkets that she noticed a few snowflakes start to fall, followed by thousands more. It was usually rare for snow to fall in Konoha, but definitely not unheard of...

* * *

Natsuki was having the best date of her young age and was overjoyed that she got to experience it with the man rumored to be the next Hokage. When the snow started to fall she started to get displeased with the weather. Deciding she had enough of being cold, she opted to figure a way to get both of them to a warmer, more private setting.

"How about we go to this cozy coffee shop, they have the most delightful tea." She urged while twirling in front of Naruto before walking backwards and tugging him along.

"I could handle something warm.?" He answered; starting to worry about her lack of attention to where she was going.

"Yay!" She cheered excitedly and stepped back quickly.

"Watch.!..." Naruto cringed "...Out?" he wasn't able to react quick enough to keep Natsuki from crashing into a small woman engrossed in the products for sale at a nearby cart.. The woman fell forward, into a bunch of hanging displays, causing them to collapse and pile on top of her in a series of large thumps.

"Ha, ha let's get out of here." The cute little green haired girl laughed at the pitiful sight and pulled her date's arm harder, nearly dragging him along. Naruto disliked the fact that Natsuki was heartless towards the situation but still reluctantly followed. He looked over his shoulder towards the woman and met her eyes as they looked back at him through the pile of clutter. In the tiny amount of time that their eyes met, Naruto was able to see the sadness in her eyes...her pupil-less eyes.

Something just jumped in the back of Naruto's mind; the faint recollection of this tiny rosy cheeked little girl being bullied by three older boys outside of a park. Then came the memories of an older version of the girl, fidgeting and tapping her fingers together during ninja academy...

"Hey... Hey" Natsuki called as she snapped her fingers in front of her date's face to gain his attention.

"Huh?" He looked around, completely oblivious to where he was.

"Come on, let's go in and get warm." she pleaded and pulled him towards the shop. To her surprise, he stood rigid and didn't even waiver from the spot where he stood despite her pulling.

"Actually, let me walk you home... I'm not feeling too good." Her smile slumped while he gently pulled her along, showing there was not debate in his decision. He continued to hold her hand all the way back to her apartment, still eliciting a smile from his partner in hopes of turning the situation back around in her favor.

"Do you want to come in?" She asked in the sweetest tone she could muster as she turned in front of her door to face him "I'm sure I can nurse away all your ill feelings." she urged while leaning forward sexily, trying to allow him a glimpse down the front of her jacket.

"I'll pass, I'm feeling even worse now..." He quickly turned away without so much as a word to the disappointed girl and shuffled through the slippery snow in the direction he came from.

Flashes of almost lavender colored, moon like orbs flashed in his mind bringing him back to the memories of the timid little girl and something he once said to her after she encouraged him before his fight with Neji in the Chuunin exams: 'I've always thought you were timid, awkward and weird... but you know what... I like girls like you...'

He passed by the overturned racks in the marketplace, where they bumped into the young woman, and watched as they packed up their wares in the continuing snow storm. He trudged along through the increasingly deeper snow, nearly accumulating to four inches now. He unconsciously turned and wandered down a small deserted walkway kicking at the snow while concentrating on his memories.

A vision of this beautiful young woman started to slide into the front of his memories... he was lying helpless and immovable when she landed out of nowhere in front of him, she looked over to him as her lips started to move. He could tell that in his memories she was talking to him with sheer determination in her eyes, but he couldn't place the words she spoke.

'How could I have forgotten something so important?" he asked himself over and over while he tried to remember the moment. Noticing a small figure in front of him, sitting on a bench in the small park, covered in snow and shivering, he moved closer. Her back was turned towards him; it was similar to how it was in that memory of his…

"Naruto...but… I still love you...'" whimpered a faint voice from the hunched over girl. Trying to wish away the images of seeing him with another , very attractive, woman. Those words suddenly resounded in his mind and he continued to repeat them over and over... I love you... that voice and phrase started syncing up with the movement of the young girl's lips in his memories. He stood behind the clueless, shivering girl for a few moments before taking off his large overcoat and draping it over the small woman's shoulders.

"As long as you're still weird... I'll probably still like you... Hinata." It took some time for the voice to register with the sudden heaviness and warmth of the coat. She slowly turned around, hoping to not move too quickly for fear that she might scare away her dream. Against her natural thoughts, he was still there looking right at her with a nervous smile.

"It has been a while, but... I think it is time to talk about that thing you said five years ago..." She just silently nodded her head and smiled while taking his outstretched hand and followed him down the walk towards the warm and inviting tavern.

* * *

Five years... it is a long time, yet short... In this time, anything can be forgotten, anything can be gained. We humans are both lucky and cursed with our memories; things we want to forget seem to haunt us when we least expect it and those precious ones can easily fade away without constant reminders. Fortunately it is a rare thing for us to be alone without the ability and time to reflect upon our memories. The only people we let fade away and forget are past romantic interests when they get replaced by someone you truly want to remember forever. If you have ever met someone that reserved a special place in your heart, I hope you will never have to trust your memories from five years ago, but look to your imagination as they stand with you in the five years... to come...

* * *

"Hey Hinata..." the small framed ex-heiress looked up passed the collar of the oversized jacket and looked into the eyes of the man she always dreamed of standing next to, watching as the waning snowflakes danced downward to land on his head and shoulders.

"I think..." he let go of her soft little hand and placed his much larger arm across her shoulders and pulled her a little closer to him "I think that when I become Hokage, I will destroy the ninja system so people like Pain won't be born and people I treasure won't have to get hurt."

A satisfied smile crept across her face as she was held close, feeling the warmth radiating off her traveling partner. "Thank you... Naruto." he looked down and grinned seeing her peaceful smile.

"What for?"

"Remembering and accepting an imperfect person like me." He gave her a light squeeze in response before voicing his reply.

"And that is why I think you're weird..." he told her, watching the curiosity spread across her face as he continued. "because to me, you are already perfect." He gave her a stunning smile before letting go of her shoulders and opened the large tavern door for her to enter the warmth of the building. The both of them were definitely looking forward to the "Five Years to Come..."

* * *

...Later


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

The pair stepped into the raucous tavern, teaming with seemingly half the village, and quietly made their way towards the crackling, warming glow of the fireplace. Hinata crouched down in front of the fire, smiling, while basking in the golden heat. Naruto watched her small hands rubbing together in the warmth as the flickering light danced happily in her pale eyes; there was just something about her that set her apart from the other women. He could have watched the calming, trembling shadows being cast haplessly at their feet for hours, but really needed to get to the conversation five years in the making. He walked up and gently touched Hinata's shoulder.

"Let's go someplace quiet."

"Hmm." She nodded. Hinata followed him through the crowded room, up the stairs at the back, and ending in his room. She was nervous and could hardly breathe, thinking about what could happen during their conversation, she wanted to believe what he said about her, but still truly believed that it was all just his imagination. Following him into the room, she started getting really warm under her collar when she saw there was nowhere to sit except the bed. She took off the large black overcoat and neatly draped it along the foot of the bed before awkwardly crawling to the head of the bed, took one of the pillows, and tucked it with her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on her pillow covered knees.

The balled up girl looked even smaller sitting upon the large bed, further compounding the alien nature of their meeting. This situation was so unfamiliar to Naruto that he couldn't manage his nerves either and nervously walked to the window and looked out upon the snow covered village, spread out, disappearing into the distance. The light of the moon reflected across the, cold, lustrous surface brightening up the serene scene; it was calming, but it managed to create the feeling that it was just cold and inhospitable.

"So…" Squeaked a quiet voice to draw attention to the matter at hand.

She had been content watching the man she strived to be around, but so many years have gone by with just her watching that she pushed herself to end the cycle and couldn't stand waiting anymore once he had shown a glitter of interest in her. Naruto turned away from the window and looked at the cute, curled up woman.

"So…" He replied; sitting himself at the opposite end of the bed. "About that time…."

"Why did it take so long!" Hinata interrupted, with a clear, anger laced voice. The blonde was taken aback at the sudden outburst and determination glimmering in her eyes. That look she gave clarified the faded memories of his fight with Pain and mirrored the one she gave back then, almost commanding submission.

"I…I…I... I was just caught up with the war, Kurama, Sasuke, finding out who my mother and father are and… and…" His speech slowed and tapered off from his haphazard excuse; flopping backwards, after seeing her gaze continue showing she wasn't buying it, Naruto let out a loud sigh. He ended up sprawled out on his back at the foot of the bed, staring at the ceiling to avert his observation of her gaze before continuing. "…and every time I thought about it, I felt weird, almost like I was worried." His last phrase held a deep serious tone in his voice, signaling that he gave up trying to hide his innermost feelings.

Hinata leaned forward, coming out of her curled up form to get a little closer, intent on listening to every last syllable while he talked. She loved his cheerful side, his electrifying energy, and of course his unwavering determination for his goals, but that was only what he let others see. She rarely got to experience his deep feelings, the place where his love and sorrow resides, hidden away from the harming reach of others. She ended up lying on her stomach, feet in the air while resting her head on the pillow.

"Why were you worried?" she asked, interested in his continuance. He took a quick glance over at her before staring back at the ceiling, not wanting to dwell on her attractive, watchful stare.

"I really don't know, but the best answer I can come up with was that I was afraid… of you. If I ended up not loving you, you'd be sad… if I fell for you then I feel my life wouldn't be my own. It's just that whenever I think about it… I don't know what could happen in the future if I'm with someone. It's like I deeply want a relationship, but equally don't want the hurt it could cause and I want to avoid it at all costs."

"It is supposed to be like that, not knowing the outcome… It makes everything sweeter and more fulfilling that way… Also it makes it much more exciting. Try to stop thinking about the hurt that could come from it and focus on what could be gained." Her heart nearly burst; both from the excited beating from being near him, and from it twisting after hearing the burdens he cast upon himself. He never had someone tell him that is would be ok to let yourself fall for someone.

"I don't know…" Hinata noticed a change in his voice while she let out a yawn. He knew she was right but still had reluctance to giving in; he was still clinging to what he knew.

"How about just trying it. I know we've both changed… but…" She was trying to push the matter, despite the fatigue from the day pushing down on her weary body. The increased heart beat for the past minutes, the emotional satisfaction from acknowledging her feelings, all started to take its toll. Her eyes closed slowly and she snuggled into the soft fluffy pillow. She was so tired that she normally would have been asleep in seconds after hitting a pillow, but she forced herself to stay awake for this defining moment.

"I know we can be really good friends, so let's just hang out together and see, no pressure or expectations of dating." Naruto offered up as a means to secure a 'best of both worlds' approach. He wanted to get to know her better, to find out if his first impressions of her were correct and more importantly to find out if he was warranted in his fear of her, of his life taking off in a direction where he couldn't control it, where his life would cease being what it was.

"As long as I can see you and talk to you … It'll be ok…" she replied with heavy weight on her eyelids keeping them closed.

"You'll always be a friend to me, Hinata, no matter what we decide in the future." He reassured with a smile.

"Hmm, that's… good…" Her slowing speech drew attention to her small frame. She was lying there, head resting on the pillow, with her hair spilling across her cheek, breathing ever so quietly.

"Hinata?" He called out softly. Not really expecting an answer, he moved within arm's reach and lightly dragged his fingers across her upturned cheek, brushing the hair away from her face. Her nose wiggled from being tickled by the soft locks, causing a content smile to curl up on her face.

"What have I gotten myself into?" He asked himself quietly while watching this beautiful woman sleep before him. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine how far a relationship with her could go and if he really wanted any relationship as seriously as he knew she wanted. His eyes opened, gazing down upon her sleeping form once again and realized one thing… If there was ever someone to take a chance on and put yourself out there for, it was most definitely this one despite the fact that his whole body told him to stay away. He closed his eyes once more and allowed the weariness of the day consume him, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

About an hour later, small eyelids flickered open lazily in the brightness of the still artificially lit room. When her eyes finally focused, she saw the face of the man she'd been chasing for years lying not too far away, facing in her direction. He was lying crookedly on the foot of the bed, barely fitting all of himself on the good sized mattress. She smiled to herself and carefully moved off the bed without disturbing his contented sleep. She prepared herself to head out towards home since she had always felt it wasn't lady-like to share a bed with a guy outside of a mutually devoted relationship; main point being the _mutually_ part.

She went to the window to close the drapes from Naruto's earlier window watching, and looked out across the wintery, desolate cityscape. A large gust of wind picked up, swirling small flakes of snow around the huddled buildings, bringing a shiver to the onlooker. Hinata looked from the freezing cold scene, back to the warm bed, then back out to the view of the frigid tundra. She quickly covered the glass with the drapes and turned back towards the bed, making her way across the room to the light switch. Flicking off the light, she reached for the door while taking one last glance towards the bed before taking her leave, knowing that it wasn't a wise idea.

Even though it was nearly pitch black inside, her superior eyes still let her make out the shifting of his body, curling up for more warmth. She pulled her hand away from the door knob and slowly maneuvered to the foot of the bed where she removed her warm winter coat and draped it across the shoulders of his sleeping form. With a face full of unseen embarrassment, she slipped herself under the blankets, still warm from her placement previously, and quickly fell asleep with an satisfied grin on her face. At that particular moment, she couldn't pass up the current situation and it wasn't like she was doing anything bad.

* * *

Sun sparked across Konoha, glittering throughout the village on the bright snowy blanket fallen the day before. The sky was a deep cloudless blue leaving nothing to block out the sun's warming glow. That small yellow orb beat down heavily on the village below showing 'old man winter' that it was not going down without a fight. The villagers spilled onto the streets in a relieved manner that today was going to be a beautiful and comfortable day.

Light scratching sounds echoed inside the small rental room, followed by a rumbling sliding sound, ending in a light thud. The sounds of the snow sliding off the tavern roof was just enough to stir Naruto from his sleep he stretched out his arms with a satisfying yawn and then noticed the warm fur lined coat insulating his body from the cool air. He looked to the head of the bed and saw a small ball curled up under the blankets which soon started to stretch out into a long slender form under the blanket. She continued stretching her body below the sheets until her feet bumped into an immovable force. She rolled onto her back and then looked towards where the blockage occurred, only to hide most of her face with the coverings, allowing just her lavender eyes to make contact with the brilliant blue staring back.

"Um… I really should get back." She expressed in a quiet and gentle voice. "Someone is sure to notice I didn't return." He smiled at seeing those pearly eyes peeking out from the other side of the blanket.

"You still in the Hyuuga Compound?" He asked, making Hinata giggle in response to the renaming of the "Hyuuga Estate"

"It's not as bad as it used to be." She informed while pushing back the blanket on the bed revealing her tight fitting clothes, of which were usually covered by her baggy jackets. Although probably not an award winning body, Naruto made sure to take plenty of notes on her alluring shape and proportions. Sheepishly, after taking in the view, he tossed the coat to her and slightly looked away.

"Thanks…" he offered up shyly, which was quite strange for him to have something to be thankful for.

"Mmm." She acknowledged. With a liquid movement of flexibility, she had the coat on in an instant and was standing nervously with her back towards him while thinking whether or not to invite him out later. She noticed her hand coming up to her chest and was starting to fidget when she forced them to her sides.

"Umm…." She started with the redness growing in her cheeks. Before turning around, she felt a big set of arms wrap around her torso catching her in a surprising hug. He quickly let go after sensing her surprise, not knowing that the surprise she had shown wasn't out of rejection of his actions, but disbelief at his forward behavior. Her face was beet red after the encounter and she could hardly hold her heart in her chest.

"I..I.. got to go!" She squeaked hurriedly as she ran out of the door, not being able to handle the wonderful pressure she was feeling in her chest.

The door closed behind her, leaving Naruto looking at the shut door wondering just what happened and if he did something wrong. He decided that due to her behavior, he would be cautious on how and when he touches her in the future, something that he never once considered previously; thinking about his actions. He cast himself back onto the bed and rested his head on the pillow, looking at the ceiling once more, thinking about everything he had experienced in the last 24 hours. He went out on a date with a heartless woman, and ended up talking to the girl he ended up avoiding for 5 years, and she even slept near him… it was a very surprising course of events…

* * *

It wasn't until late in the afternoon when Naruto headed outside his room at the tavern. He had been thinking all morning long about everything he just experienced and just how out of character the whole thing was for the both of them. Hinata had always been friendly, she had always been helpful to others and she managed to draw up the courage to confess her feeling to him… And what had he ever done? He stuffed her memory to the back of his mind, hoping that the unwanted uncertainty that came with acknowledging her feelings would pass and let him focus on being Hokage. She risked the same heartache that he was too scared, too weak, to face just to share her feelings.

His thoughts left him confused once again. All he wanted was to figure out what the wall was in his heart, and now he was left with more questions, more unknown feelings, and a sense of guilt for not talking with her sooner. Not feeling all that much better, he quietly had a quick lunch and headed into town to occupy his mind.

It was much warmer than the day previous and he only needed his lighter jacket to keep the chill at bay. He slopped leisurely through the wet, slushy roads, pushing onwards towards a strange building he had yet to investigate. The building slowly got larger as he approached and before long he was standing before the fortress like building. It was a very large, round building, almost 2 stories high, surrounded by a fence of equal height. The shape of the fence alluded to the possibility of it having an extensive enclosed area. There were a few construction workers cleaning up around the obviously new place. Two of them started to take down the scaffolding at the front of the building, revealing the red and black spiral pattern seen everywhere in Konoha signifying a ninja run facility. Naruto was wondering just what that building was when one of the workers came by to address the questioning look.

"This is the ninja community center. This is a place for ninja to relax and train. We have training grounds behind it as well as simple refreshments for after training. This year's chuunin exam will probably take place here as well." The older grey haired man scratched at his short beard before continuing his explanation. "The grand opening will be in about 5 days. Lord Hokage will be here then to dedicate the building at that time, so expect everyone to be here." The worked tilted his hat towards the interested ninja and ran off to continue cleaning up the area surrounding the building.

"It will be great to catch up with everyone." He happily told himself before heading out to explore more of his increasingly familiar village.

* * *

The five days passed quickly; Hinata hadn't seen Naruto since their talk, not because of her not wanting to, but because it still felt like a heavy force was crushing her lungs when she thought about seeing him again. Her thoughts fought over whether he was interested in her as just a friend, or as a girlfriend, and it was mostly that unknowing feeling that caused her the greatest distress. Gathering up her courage during the week, she prepared herself for attending the grand opening and was determined to see him again. She reminded herself of her internal vow made while Naruto was fighting the Bijou.

"I will not chase him anymore… I will walk by his side, holding his hand." She repeated out loud to the mirror, hoping to strengthen her resolve. Satisfied by the person looking back with a smile, she set off for the dedication ceremony.

**"You're going to be late."** Informed the rumbling being lying inside Naruto.

"Yeah I know Kurama, go back to sleep, I won't need your help for a while." He replied while toweling off after a shower.

**"He, he, he" **chuckled the Kyuubi, **"Actually I have been watching your progress with that girl and think you need a push in the right direction."**

"I don't need any pushing you stupid fox! I… I can get a date with Hinata on my own!" Naruto froze up while he repeated what he just said out loud over again… Did he really want to date Hinata, or was he just goaded into saying that? What about their friendship? Could he really jeopardize that for a different kind of relationship?

"She's just a friend Kurama, a friend. 'F' 'R' 'E' 'N'…" He paused trying to hide the fact that he didn't spell it correctly. "Well you get the point; I don't have to spell it for you."

**"Fine, then take your _friend_ with you on your next mission. I'll bet it will be interesting."**

"Fine, I will, I can do a mission with my friend no problem." He replied in protest of the Kyuubi's comment, then throwing on the rest of his clothing.

"**I'll take your _word_ for it."** Emphasized the large fox before retreating back to his mindscape with a rolling laugh.

"Dumb fox." Naruto mumbled once more before throwing on his long flamed jacket and headed out to the grand opening celebration.

* * *

**AN:**

Well, it looks like I have been coerced into continuing this(thanks everyone)... It is difficult to get back into the swing of writing again after putting down the creativity for 5 years. I honestly don't expect this to top the site as the best fic here, but I know it is much better than the drab-fest that has been going on here lately, so I hope you enjoy and I will try to put out the best chapters that I can muster. Don't forget to let everyone know I'm back and to read the chapters.

**Notes on story progress:**

Right now the story is slow while I lay the ground work for it but it will pick up speed later as we get into a little side adventure. I'm trying an approach with the romance that should be more realistic, much like the confusing art that it is, so expect things to be confusing at times with the relationship.

You can expect at least one chapter of at least 3000 words each week religiously. I've already banked another chapter to edit this coming week so I am on a roll.

I expect this to reach about 40,000 - 50,000 words, so it will not be an epic and will have an ending before the end of fall.

Thanks for reading

...Later


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

The night sky was crystal clear, allowing all the stars in the sky to twinkle happily, seemingly keeping the beat to an unknown score echoing across the universe. Naruto let out a deep breath into the atmosphere, noticing just the tiniest amount of condensed breath being spread lightly into the almost nonexistent wind. The temperature had not quite gotten down to the freezing point, though with the open canopy above, it would be sure to dip below it in a matter of just a few hours.

He stepped into view of the large ninja building and was greeted by the heavy, calming scent of a campfire tickling his nose with a hint of sweet and earthy undertones from the burning pine used to warm the building. The smoke wafted carelessly into the firmament, advertising an invitation to all who would be approaching the facility.

It was a little nerve-racking, to enter into a building which would be filled with his fellow ninja, but it was even more so because he hadn't seen or talked to but a few of his old friend and comrades in quite some time. After a deep breath to calm himself, he pushed on the door. The large wooden entryway creaked in protest, but still didn't budge despite the effort. Reasoning that since it was a ninja building, it was probably artificially held shut with chakra. Strengthening his core, he gave the door a hearty shove with all his might. The door creaked in pain before a loud crack from the door frame. The door fell straight forward with a thunderous thud echoing throughout the building, scattering splinters in every direction. When the dust settled, Naruto was met with the stares of at least 150 ninja.

"Uh…" Nervously laughed the blonde ninja while scratching his head. "Dynamic Entry?" he offered up in a half-baked attempt for an excuse. The whole building looked on with blank faces.

"Now that's a youthful spirit!" called out an unseen voice from the back of the room which started a rolling laughter throughout the building. Naruto gingerly stepped over the disaster, which used to be the door, and caught a glimpse of a young man standing against the wall, still shaking his head.

"Shikamaru!" Called out the blue eyed ninja after remembering his old friend. He ran up to him, still ignoring the subsiding laughter.

"Only you would miss the fact that is said 'PULL'. I knew the letters should have been bigger." He muttered

"Yeah, well… I guess I was preoccupied." Retorted Naruto

"Some things just always stay the same, don't they?" Shikamaru started staring off into space again now that the commotion was over.

"I guess…" Naruto chuckled nervously "Have you seen Sasuke around?"

"No, he's still holed up in his house, blind as can be… still refuses anyone that stops by."

"Oh, too bad. I had hoped he'd come around a little more since settling things with him."

"Well, it's good to see you Naruto, I'd talk more, but that troublesome woman just got here." Shikamaru nodded in the direction of the broken door and made his way towards it; drawing Naruto's attention to the thin blonde, wearing a fancy dark sapphire dress who was currently gasping at the gaping hole. She then looked right at the blonde with a pointed glare, asking if he was the one with just one look. Naruto lifted his hand in a nervous wave of admittance right as Shikamaru got to her side to disarm the situation.

Naruto really couldn't ever understand Ino. She was just one of those acquaintances that neither bothered him nor helped him, but he could easily see the value she held in his other friend's eyes which made her important to the Hokage hopeful. Even dating back to the academy days, he only ever greeted her with a small wave and to this day he was still not offered much but a look of ignorance in return. Of course this was no exception and she quickly ushered Shikamaru off to one of the tables.

After watching his old friend disappear, he looked around the building. There were still plenty of seats available, but all in attendance were sitting in their own little group, including a few sitting nearly lifeless at an extra-large table. It was strange to see such a large table with only two people at it, but it was also very clear when looking at their hooded clothing and tinted eye coverings; most people wouldn't want to sit with them. Heading in the direction of that particular table, Naruto remembered some times while at the academy, when everyone still avoided him.

* * *

One in particular was his first day there. It was lunch time and the little happy blonde had his cup ramen in hand and was looking for a seat. He tried sitting at various tables, but their occupants would always scoot closer together to block out any extra room they had, well, except for one. He was happy to find someone to sit with, but it was obvious he wasn't going to be a talker. The little blonde boy didn't know why this hooded boy was alone during lunch, but quickly learned that not everyone could stomach seeing bugs while eating.

* * *

After a silent nod, Naruto sat across from the two bug users, earning a nod in return. He knew it was usually social suicide to sit with the Aburame's, but if anyone had a problem with what someone has inside them, then they don't deserve his company anyways. It used to be a bother for him, causing his outbursts and demanding of attention, but these days it seems more important to be with those who can, or want to, understand what he has been through.

"Hello Shibi-san, Shino-san." Sounded a nervous and quiet voice beside them, breaking the odd silence which always followed the Aburames. Naruto looked over and saw Hinata dressed in a simple black dress, nervously smoothing out the wrinkles before sitting in the chair next to him. She had a light blush on her face and didn't make direct eye contact with Naruto. Shino adjusted his glasses in what usually consists of a smile from the stoic man.

"Um… Hello, Naruto." She muttered the greeting without facing him.

"Hinata… you… look good." He stuttered out, being caught off guard by the apparel of his newly seated neighbor. He had really only seen her in her usual baggy attire and so this was something unusual to behold. Her face darkened in color and she started to feel lightheaded at the comment and the eyes looking her over.

"Th..Thank you." She managed to get out despite her nerves. She had wanted to ask about the broken door, but couldn't bring herself to actually accuse him of any wrong doings even though she was 99% sure it was either him or Lee, but since she didn't see a drunken green clad ninja, she already had her answer.

"Everyone, Thank you for coming!" Called out the friendly voice of Tsunade, which started to quiet the audience. She paused for a generous amount of time while the lights dimmed inside, to draw more attention to the front.

"We are glad to announce that with this building's completion, we have officially finished rebuilding Konoha." The crowd erupted in cheers, whistles, and applause after her announcement. It was most definitely an accomplishment after all the damage done during the pain incedent. "Now, to the real reason you all are here… the dedication of this Ninja Recreation Area." More cheers broke out again.

"Ok…" she continued, motioning to the crowd to settle down. "Now the person we are dedicating this building to has made a name for himself in the past years, showing his devotion, determination, and shows really how much hard work can accomplish…"

"Yay, I did it Gai –sensei" Shouted Lee, interrupting the speech while he leapt into the air, tears flowing from his eyes. Tsunade rested her forehead in her palm and shook her head in disbelief.

"Lee!" Shouted the blue beast while running to his pupil's side.

"Gai-sensei"

"Shut up! It's not even springtime!" shouted a voice, very similar to Kiba's, from the back, causing everyone to let out a laugh. The laughing audience caused the pair to break their hugging session; they didn't even get to finish their usual pose, much to everyone's relief.

"Shizune! Why didn't you check over this speech for these kinds of phrases?" Tsunade demanded while trying to cover the microphone halfheartedly.

"I didn't know he still did that." She replied as an excuse.

"Well, moving on…let's see… well…" She muttered out loud before throwing the written pages over her shoulder. "Let's just skip the rest of the speech since it's _officially_ ruined." She cracked out a bottle of sake and took a quick swig while the audience chuckled. "I dedicate this building to… as long as he doesn't completely destroy it… Naruto!"

She pulled on a rope, revealing what was behind a curtain high upon the wall; the three jackets he wore while growing up. One orange and white, one orange and black, and one black with traces of orange down the sleeves. Naruto had a completely blank stare on his face as he tried to process what she just said.

"Congratulations Naruto." Rang Hinata's timid voice, followed by the tactile feeling of her hand lightly touching the back his. The crowd was booming with cheers and applause that is was nearly deafening. He still wasn't processing what occurred, but Hinata's touch managed to nudge him from his disbelief.

"Um... thanks" He muttered out while shakily standing. He looked to Tsunade, who was motioning him to come forward with a smile, helping him to break out of his temporary coma. He then shook his head, chasing away the fog, and ran up with a smile gaining in size with each step. He was soon standing next to the woman he helped bring back to Konoha years before and was happy he did.

"Thanks baa-chan." Tsunade just slapped him gentle on the shoulder, and then handed over a small commemorative plaque of the event with a smile.

"Now to the more important news!" Called out the Godaime Hokage while still keeping Naruto by her side. "I have been in discussions with the village elders for quite some time and it has finally been decided that Naruto will be my proper successor." More cheering ensued. Tsunade raised her hand, trying to calm down the room. "After…" she talked over them, bringing a conclusion to the noise. "…after he completes his next mission."

"What mission?" Naruto asked quickly, despite his joy in hearing that his dream would soon come true. After being told there would be no more missions for a while it was unusual to be given a mission.

"We just got a special mission request by the Great Toad Sage. Unfortunately this will at best take you a year or so to accomplish." Naruto's smile stayed as it was, it wasn't like it was the first time he ever left the village and knew everyone would still be there when he returned, but Hinata's face fell into a depressive state, knowing she would be ignored for another long timeframe. She was starting to doubt even being able to last until then knowing she has been much closer to her dream than ever. It would most likely cause her more emotional damage to have him taken away now than previously.

"However," The Hokage continued. "You are allowed to have one companion since no one should spend all that time alone; it just isn't healthy." Tsunade watched as the blonde was trying to imagine who he was going to be paired with; who would she stick him with for a year.

"Since this is a special mission, you can take your pick of anyone you choose." Naruto smiled wider and started running through all his previous teammates for someone that he could spend a year with; Kakashi, Neji, Lee… He shuddered at that last thought; that wouldn't be a good year.

**"You don't go back on your word do you?"** reminded the ancient fox while laughing from within.

Naruto's face suddenly paled, resulting in the dropping of his plaque as the fox's laughter echoed through his mind. He stood dazed and perplexed with what he realized was happening. He knew nothing about women, nothing about how they act, nothing about what they need, and now… now he was starting to wonder if he should curse his own nindo… although…

"Hey Naruto!" Tsunade shouted while shaking his shoulders, snapping him out of his second daze of the night. "You ok?" She asked. He nodded and nervously scratched his head as he regained his composure.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It just was surprising when I figured out who was going to travel with me." He stooped down and picked up his plaque. Standing back up, Tsunade held the microphone out to him in a silent demand for him to share his pick.

"So, who is it? Kakashi, Yamato, or… maybe Anko?" She teased while nudging him gently.

"Actually…" He started with an uncomfortable grin "It'll be Hinata." The whole room nearly gasped in unison. He saw the girl in question look towards him with eyes wider than he had ever seen, before they rolled up into her head, sending her crashing to the floor out of the surprise forced down upon her.

"Was it something I said?" He asked unknowingly; gaining some chuckles from the room. Naruto laughed nervously before heading back towards the table where he saw Hinata carried off, like many times in the past, by the Hyuuga branch members.

"Will she be ok?" Naruto whispered to Shino, wondering if he should go after her.

"Very" Was his dry and simple reply before adjusting his eyewear. "With you, this is normal."

After the fainting spell; the rest of the night remained uneventful. Naruto caught up with his old friends bit by bit and was by no means an expert on their lives, but he learned enough to know they were all doing well and they wished him well on his future promotion, although Konohamaru reminded him that it would be a short appointment as the Hokage if he had any say in it.

Hinata was taken back to the Hyuuga estate shortly after her fainting spell since she didn't regain consciousness within a reasonable time frame. Naruto was starting to worry if she really was all right like everyone kept assuring him. He just had to trust their judgment and let her be.

The night ended not too long after midnight, with all the ninja congratulating Naruto once more before heading to their homes. The blonde was happy with all the acknowledgement and left with a sense of accomplishment, stepping out into the cold night air. With everyone now gone, that feeling crept back into his heart. The clear, endless night sky made him feel even more alone while he walked back to the tavern.

* * *

Naruto woke early the next morning and hurriedly made his way to the Hokage tower after preparing for the day. He was excited to start another mission; first because it had been so used to constantly running missions that he was starting to get a sense of cabin fever staying in. Second, because he was finally making the steps to Hokage like he dreamed of. Thirdly, well there really wasn't a third reason since he was still uneasy about spending so much time on a mission with a woman, but he wasn't about to go back on his word.

It was a great traveling day, for it being almost November. It was warm enough to only need a jacket, despite the cold snap they had been in. Although being overcast, making it hard to enjoy the sky, there was little chance for rain and it kept the sun from being too annoying near the horizons.

Naruto entered the Hokage's office energetically, packing just his large scroll over his shoulder, and walked up to Tsunade's desk.

"So what's the mission baa-chan?" he asked, eager for more information.

"A few days ago the toads of Myouboku Mountain came to me with information from the great toad sage. According to their report, you need to investigate an area of land for remnants of the Rikudo Sennin, the Sage of Six paths. Your mission is to gather any and all information referring to the Rikudo Sennin and only return here once you have enough information for an epiphany about the bijou, or until 6 months have passed after exhausting all leads."

She fumbled through a stack of papers before pulling out a normal looking map and an ancient looking one. She drew a few lines on the new map and circled an area in red.

"Here is a map of where you should start looking… any questions?"

"Yeah…What's an epiphany again?" Tsunade really should have been used to this banter, but sometimes it just took too much out of her.

"Ask Hinata when you pick her up… If there are no more questions…"

Just one more" he noted after looking at the map. "There isn't any land where we are going."

"There is land there, it is just that no one has ever gone out that far and recorded it in modern cartography."

"Right…" He answered with confidence, showing Tsunade how much he had learned. "… So ask Hinata about epiphany and cartography." The Hokage's face slumped, she should have known…

* * *

Naruto arrived at the Hyuuga estate and walked towards the gate with ever slowing steps. The more he thought about the idea of a mission with Hinata, the more anxious and worried he got that he would screw up something and cost him the friendship he was overjoyed to have. To make matters worse, the more anxious he got, the less enthusiastic he became over the idea. He was really contemplating leaving without her, when he heard a shout.

"Hey!" Called out a Hyuuga guard. "What business do you have here?"

"I came to pick up Hinata for a mission." He informend; the guard stopped and radioed someone ,once it appeared as though he had a reply, he issued his orders.

"Very well, enter and someone will escort you." The large gate opened, allowing Naruto to see the form of an older woman waiting just inside for him.

"Follow me." She simply commanded when he stepped over the threshold. This was his first time within the walls of the Hyuuga estate, and the more he saw, the more he realized that it was closer to a compound than he imagined. Maybe it was because of the rebuild, but having nothing to base it on, he couldn't really decide. The old woman finally stopped outside a door and ushered him in without a word.

He found himself in a large room lined with dark, elegant book shelves on all walls with a large walnut desk in the center. The front of the desk had an engraving of the Hyuuga clan symbol and sitting behind it was none other than Hiashi Hyuuga, the head of the Hyuuga clan.

"What brings you here, young Uzumaki-san?" He asked with stern eyes.

"Ummm… I came to get Hinata for a mission." It was rare for Naruto to pause when speaking his mind, but this guy really crept him out.

"A Mission…? That is the first I ever heard of it." Hiashi reached under his desk, activating something, and within seconds another Hyuuga walked into the room. "Summon Hinata." He commanded. The young man bowed quickly and ran out the door in a hurry. "While we wait, what are the details of this mission?"

"It's a long term intelligence gathering mission."

"How long is long term?" He asked, intrigued with the information

"Somewhere around a year, I think…" Hiashi's eyes widened for a moment at the revelation of the time frame, it was a little longer than usual. Previously a long term mission would last about 3 months, so this was quite peculiar to him.

"Who are the other members and who decided them?" He asked, to further get a feel for the mission. Naruto paused for a moment, not knowing what Hiashi would say about the arrangement, what father would want their daughter to be alone with a man.

"Actually it will just be me and her…" At that moment a sleepy looking Hinata walked through the door, still rubbing her eyes awake from her night's sleep. She was wearing a thin, grey, baggy t-shirt and black sweatpants. It wasn't flattering attire, but there was plenty of unrestrained movement within her shirt that would make a man's imagination go crazy.

"I will expect that you will conduct yourself with a little more discretion on your mission, daughter." She jumped and froze immediately after hearing those words. She turned bright red and turned away from Naruto, quickly crossing her arms over her chest. It just occurred to her that she wasn't wearing certain articles of clothing.

"Y…Yes otou-sama." She hesitantly peeped. She had been down since her sudden faint the previous night and didn't have a chance to determine if she just imagined Naruto choosing her in the short time she had been awake.

"As you were saying…" Hiashi urged the blonde to continue, seeing him look upon his daughter with a little too much attention.

"Ah, yeah… I picked her for this mission." The elder Hyuuga's eyes lightened and he started listening with a little more intent.

"Really… what is Hinata to you?" he asked, this question brought Hinata's attention back to the conversation.

"Um, well…" He started nervously. "She's a great ninja, really nice, has great cooperation skills, and has been good at bailing me out of bad situations." He admitted confidently. Hinata really had hoped for a more personal answer, but still enjoyed the positive thoughts.

"Very well…" looking over at his small framed daughter, he addressed her directly. "Hinata, get yourself prepared for your mission. Don't keep Uzumaki-san waiting."

"Y…Yes" She chirped as she ran out the door with a giddy smile.

"I trust you will treat her with respect and professionalism." Hiashi instructed with hard, stern eyes, giving a much more hidden meaning to his words.

"Yes sir." Naruto replied clearly

"And…" He watched intently as Hiashi's emotionless eyes softened from the stern expression. It was really different to see another Hyuuga's eyes that resembled Hinata's unique expressions. "Take care of her."

"She will return safely; I promise you that."

"I'll accept that as guarantee… "The clan head's stern look returned as he waived Naruto out of the room.

* * *

o

o

...Later


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

Hinata ran as quickly as she could through the estate with the huge pack on her back. She basically threw everything she had into the oversized pack and hoped it would be enough for the journey. She came upon Naruto, quickly approaching the gate, and tried to slow down, but the momentum was too much and she started to lose her balance. Hearing the thumping, clacking, and rustling from her steps, he turned around just in time to catch her by the shoulders and slow her down before it became a mess. She was panting for air while deeply blushing and quickly got her balance thanks to his help.

"Thank you." She puffed happily.

The pair walked silently through the rest of the village and out the main gate. Hinata's shoulders started to ache as the small straps of the pack started to dig into her soft flesh under the unusual weight. She shifted the weight many times throughout their walk down the path out of town and couldn't get a comfortable position to carry it. She struggled past her discomfort and pushed hard to keep up with her partner, which was when she noticed that he carried nothing but a large scroll. She only took a few more steps before she collapsed under the weight of the pack.

"Hinata." Naruto called out when he no longer heard her footsteps. He ran backwards to the point where he saw Hinata breathing raggedly on the ground. She left the pack lying on the path and started rubbing her shoulders in pain.

"I... I packed too much." She admitted while looking at the ground. She knew it should never have happened, this was a genin mistake and being an experienced chuunin means thinking about these things.

"What the hell!" Naruto exclaimed when he picked up her pack to help her. "This thing weights a ton." Hinata continued looking at the ground trying to hold back tears that were threatening to come out from being scolded of her foolishness. "Just how strong are you!?" She was taken aback at the illogical praise she was receiving; only this blonde haired ninja could turn a horrible oversight into praise.

"W..we should lighten the load." She suggested, still wondering why he wasn't carrying a bag.

"Nah, it will be fine… You don't have a summoning contract do you?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, almost no one below jonin has one."

"Did you ever wonder why our teachers never had luggage?" Hinata thought about that for a moment. She recalled Kurenai during her genin days on team 8 and realized that her old teacher would always have everything they managed to forget but never actually carried a thing. They would just go get firewood and it would be there.

"They wouldn't be frivolous enough to use their contract animals, would they?" She questioned

"Don't know what frivolous means, but I found exactly what they did when I was traveling with Ero-sennin." He pricked his thumb and signed the summoning sequence. Out popped a small lime green toad wearing a black vest. He saw the large pack and without a sound hopped on top of it. He saluted Naruto before both he and the bag went up in smoke with an audible poof.

"Where does it go?" She asked inquisitively.

"I've got a sturdy hut on Myouboku Mountain where everything goes, so it should be safe." The pair started walking down the road again, one being much more comfortable than before without the added weight as she continued down the path.

"So, where are we going?" She asked after about 20 minutes of silence. Naruto handed her the small map and continued walking without as much as a word. She analyzed it for a while and handed it back, noting their location was past the claimed borders of the Land of Wind.

"Baa-chan said something about it not being on modern carto-whatever."

"Cartography?"

"Yeah, what is that?"

"Cartography is just the making of maps; a cartographer is a person that makes the maps."

"Well miss smarty pants, what's an epipha-something." Hinata giggled at his wording while hiding her lips with her curled up hand.

"Epiphany? An epiphany is like a break through, like um… the moment when you figure out a new jutsu and understand it."

"Well why don't they call it by what they are, mapping and discovering something?" She giggled softly. It was definitely a relief to see his serious side was just another cover for his usual self. All these years really didn't change him as much as some people claimed.

"I don't have all the answers."

"You should, you're smart enough." Hinata blushed and looked at her feet

"I don't think so…"

* * *

They remained silent, watching the ever-changing landscape of the autumn tree line, until the sun was waning, darkening the sky, and bringing a crisp cool breeze across the forest still lining the road. The leaves rustled as they fell to the earth in brilliant reds and oranges, making crunching sounds as they were being trampled underfoot.

"We should setup camp for the night" Naruto informed "See any clearings Hinata?" She activated her doujutsu and located a good sized one 100 yards off the road. With her leading the way, they weaved through the trees, brush, and stepping over fallen branches before making it to the clearing.

"Looks good Hinata." Naruto summoned his hut from Myouboku Mountain, replacing a cloud of smoke with something closely related to concrete.

"Here's home." He announced happily. Hinata smiled, nodded and headed for the door. She stepped into the hut when instantly her smile dropped in exchange for the most horrified expression she could manage.

"Something wrong?" he asked, stepping around her to look inside. The place was a complete mess; clothing was strewn about haphazardly, and personal effects were scattered in all directions. Seeing an unusual article of clothing, he reached down and picked it up and held it out in front of him, analyzing the black lacy 'v' shaped item.

"G…GET OUT!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, taking the clothing and shoving the bewildered man out the door, slamming it behind him. She leaned up against the door, inhaling quickly and deeply. Her blush had spread below her neck and she would have been happy that she managed to stay conscious had it not been for having all her undergarments on display. Of course he also had to pick up the pair she brought just in case something were to warrant wearing it, making it much more embarrassing.

20 minutes later Hinata came out nervously after cleaning up the mess. She saw Naruto sitting on a log poking at the fire he started with a stick, seemingly engrossed in the dancing flames. He never looked up at her as she approached, quietly taking a seat next to him.

"I'm sorry I got upset." She expressed quietly. She reached out to touch his arm for emphasis, but it was angrily shrugged off. He stood up and threw the stick he had angrily at the fire.

"I don't know what the big deal was… maybe this whole mission was a big mistake… I'm going to bed." He stormed off and went inside the hut, slamming the door behind him leaving the small woman to stare at the fire with a stream of tears streaking down her cheeks. She sniffled a bit while she frantically tried to wipe away the tears on each of her sleeves before making her way to the hut as well. She saw Naruto's back facing where she was supposed to sleep. Her heart was aching as she slipped into her sleeping bag, tears threatening to come out once more when she replayed his angry comment through her head.

"Um…" she struggled out through her shaky voice. "they were my u… underwear. It was very embarrassing." She tucked her head inside her sleeping bag to hide her embarrassment.

"Oh…" he replied, sounding a bit down after hearing her distressed voice. "I probably should have asked if you had any sweets in your pack, Gamatatsu has no boundaries, so... Sorry" they stayed in silence for a few minutes before a barely audible whisper broke the silence.

"I am glad it was you who came with me, Hinata" Hinata's face curled up into a faint smile and she happily snuggled into the sleeping bag for the night.

* * *

"Hinata, wake up." Boomed a chipper voice, stirring the young woman from her sleep. The sun had barely started to break across the foliage of the forest when he decided to wake his partner. Her eyelids rose, letting in the faint light spilling into the hut through the cracks around the door. Her eyes slowly focused on the two sapphire eyes staring down at her through a cheery smile.

"Good Morning." She whispered while stretching out her arms with a yawn. She pulled herself out of the sleeping bag, and looked around the hut. It was bare and could use a few more touches to achieve a 'home' feeling.

"Could I get some privacy to change?" She finally asked shyly, still feeling like a stranger in his house.

"Oh, sorry. I'll remember that." He replied before exiting the hut.

After the pair was prepared for the day, they picked up camp and headed out for another long day of walking. The sun gained strength the longer they walked into the day and would most likely continue in this manner the closer they traveled toward the Land of Wind. The days were long and hot while the talks were short.

* * *

The next two days passed with little conversation and nothing of noteworthy value to the young Hyuuga. It was frustrating to be so close to the person she fell for, but not be able to change their situation. He was just aggravating to her, one moment it seemed like he'd open up and let her in and the next she was being held at arm's length. Even more annoying to her was while walking their hands would bump together and he'd take a step away to avoid future contact. It was all she could muster to make the subtle hint to him, but he never caught on. She couldn't really hold it against him either since he was never shown the male/female interaction most receive from growing up with parents. Despite all the shortcomings she perceived, she was still very happy to be accompanying him on this mission, besides it wasn't like she had to rush things, they had plenty of time.

Since all of Konoha's maps were destroyed in the Pain disaster, Hinata suggested that they stop off in Suna to look for a map with more information on the area. Of course Gaara was busy as the Kazekage, so they had to head to the archive on their own. The maps were plentiful and after a few selections, they at least had a better idea of what the terrain looked like west of suna… mountainous.

The Land of wind was between the boundaries of two great mountain ranges, one between the border of Earth and Wind and the other to the west of Wind which cemented the desert nature by blocking out the majority of moisture from getting to the dry land. They also learned that it would most likely take just under two weeks to cross the desert as the winds would pick up considerably as they approached the mountain making travel slow. Anticipating the severe wind, they picked up a few items in Suna before heading out early the next morning.

* * *

They were loaded down with water in preparation for the journey before heading into the desert. The sun was beating down fiercely, cooking off any moisture careless enough to venture in its path. The soft sand slipped under foot, sinking down an inch or two, drawing twice as much energy to maneuver the difficult surface than normal. They would stop every hour like clockwork to rehydrate then continue on with just the sun over head to guide them in the general direction of travel. Naruto wanted to travel during the cool night hours and avoid the heat, but was quickly overruled by Hinata's knowledge of all the poisonous creatures that roamed at night. The amount of chakra needed to see each and every animal and avoid them outweighed the energy and danger which would be experienced during the day.

All things considered, they were making great time through the sandy terrain. Nearly five days had passed since leaving Suna and only now was the wind starting to pick up. The sand swirled, viciously pelting them from every direction in an unrelenting onslaught. Sand was whipping around their clothing, getting absolutely everywhere making it uncomfortable to walk with the grit sanding their joints.

"Let's call it a day!" Naruto yelled to a stumbling, wrapped, woman following behind him. With a puff of smoke the sturdy hut appeared and they clamored inside, slamming the shut behind them. The wind whistled and howled as it passed by the contours of the little abode managing to push sand through the gaps surrounding the door. It was hot inside, but they could care less while unwrapping the long pieces of fabric from their body and shaking the sand to the ground.

"Aw, man… this sand is everywhere." Naruto cursed loudly, taking off his jacket and shirt, shaking the sand everywhere. Hinata watched him with a light blush after seeing him shirtless. Her face reddened deeply when he started to unbutton his pants. With a quiet squeak, she turned away and darted to the other side of the small building out of embarrassment.

"Um, I'm going to change over here, so don't turn around." She ordered gently but sternly.

"Sure Hinata." He called out, already shaking the sand from his pants. He set his clothes to the side and caught a view of a light, delicate surface gently moving under the flexing of muscles. If it wasn't for the two slim arms reaching back to unclasp a piece of clothing, he wouldn't have been able to guess it was her nearly flawless back. Naruto focused on the scene unraveling behind him out of the corner of his eye until she removed the beige colored garment leaving the whole of her back completely exposed. He quickly adverted his gaze while she brushed away the sand, leaving him with a rampaging heart beat knowing he had seen something he really shouldn't have.

Thinking back to the days he spent pranking around showers, he never felt ashamed. Not even his own jutsu, which he perfected by studying woman's nude figures, had the slightest effect on him. Jiraiya's books were boring drivel about women being objectified by men and made no sense to him at that age, but now he was getting excited just knowing she was undressing within reach and catching a glimpse wasn't helping any.

"Ok…" She squeaked after dressing comfortably for the heat. Naruto turned around wearing a pair of shorts and an old shirt with the sleeves cut off. He was surprised when he saw her wearing tight black shorts and a grey tank top since she would rarely wear something so revealing. She nervously held her arms across her chest in an attempt to hide from his view.

"So… what should we talk about?" He asked, uncharacteristically trying to look away. He didn't want to be caught looking at her body out of fear that she'd be unhappy with him..

"Well…" She started off "Did you ever think about if…" she trailed off while thinking on how to put her question. "… If your clones started a rebellion against you?" He started laughing after hearing her question. He didn't know if it was a serious question, but guessed that it probably wasn't since to him, Hinata was very smart.

"Actually when I was headed to train with Bee, I had a very similar dream. It actually made me think a little more about my clones, especially since every time one disperses it is almost like I died. My clones knew they weren't real, but the unconscious fear of dying still remains in them since they are just a copy of me." He nervously forced out a laugh "So have you ever had any weird dreams?"

"Umm… yes." She started as her face redden. "Actually they were about you."

"Really?" He asked, while moving closer to her, taking a seat by her side against the far wall

"mmm…" She nodded shyly

"That's weird, I had one with you in it once too. You looked different, had bright lipstick on and acted a lot like Ino, all like showing off skin and stuff, and you were mean too."

"Huh? I… I would never be mean to you." She blurted out

"Yeah, that was the weird part… Actually that wasn't as weird as some of it. At one point in the dream Lee was wearing TenTen's underwear. It was all creepy and funny at the same time."

"That actually sounds more like a nightmare…" she snickered.

"It kind of was." He laughed loudly at her small joke. "You know if you were more open and talkative, I'd bet you'd be pretty funny."

"Thank you" she giggled "Honestly though, I wouldn't be this talkative if it wasn't for you."

"I really think you don't give yourself enough credit."

"Maybe, but if you never showed me the way to fight back at life, I would have stayed in the shadows forever. You taught me how to never go back on my word…" She reached out and grabbed his hand tucking her petite fingers around his. "I told myself years ago that I would stop chasing you from the wayside and walk by your side." He didn't know what to say while her hand held tightly to his. It was soft, gentle and had warmth unlike any normal touch he had experienced.

"I really don't think I'm that special. You make it sound like I'm some great person." She scooted a little closer and leaned onto his shoulder with a nervous blush, still gripping his hand.

"You are special to me; you are a great person to me, and that is what I see and nothing will change that… I love you" He looked down at the face of the young woman resting on his shoulder and couldn't help but to smile after seeing her content face.

"I've heard you say that before and it just never made sense to me, but I think I'm starting to understand." She made no sound in reply; looking down he noticed that she was fast asleep against him. He watched her sleep for quite some time before personally succumbing to the draws of sleep induced by the traveling and heat.

* * *

After sleeping through the cool night next to each other the pair woke and prepared for the day's journey. They wrapped their garments tighter in an attempt to keep the sand out and started on their trek, still hand in hand. The next few days were rough and tiring. They had little time to talk between the long days of traveling through windstorms and sleeping, but they were getting used to being at each other's side.

Finally the day came when the winds started to die down and revealed the large mountain range through the dusty haze of sand. It was rocky and mostly barren from what they could see from the desert's side. It was no wonder nobody attempted to live in this direction since it would take a well-equipped ninja with excess water in special storage to even consider traversing the dangerous desert.

Night fell as they approached the base of the mountain forcing them to make camp. Luckily for them it was clear outside and through the help of some book Hinata brought along, they were able to determine that they missed the desired point by about half a day's travel north. After some deliberation, they decided to scale the mountain the next day and work on moving south once they got over it, hoping for better terrain than the desert sand.

The sun was as hot as the air was thin the following morning but they made excellent time climbing up the rocky surface, making it to the peak just as the sun started to set. Looking to the direction they came, they saw huge dunes, curling across the land, disappearing into clouds of the blowing sand. Turning towards where they were going, they were astonished to see a lush green valley with a 'Y' shaped river system snaking through the center across the gentle hills. The forest sprawled out before them seemed to be a mixture between the forests in Konoha and the tropical ones near Wave. It was dense, foreign and absolutely beautiful. The two held hands silently and watched the sun disappear into the strange forest below them before making camp for the night.

* * *

They descended the mountain early the next morning while the sunlight was just spilling across the valley, sparkling across the rivers below. The humidity started to increase drastically the further they descended and broke into the tree line. At first the trees were small and old, but before long they were deep into a dense thicket of tall, lanky bamboo stretching out overhead leading into a massive forest of trees nearly 3 times taller than the trees in Konoha.

"Wow… look at this place. Why hasn't anyone explored this…?" Naruto bellowed loudly, looking at the sheer scale of the trees. He immediately ran up the nearest tree in excitement. He made it to about half way when a sudden blast of chakra sent him sailing away from the trunk, hurtling quickly towards the ground.

"Naruto!" Hinata screamed as she saw him falling helplessly to the ground. In a puff of smoke, she was relieved to see his closes appeared behind him, crashing into the ground as a progressive cushion, slowing his fall.

"Ouch!" He yelled when the last clone disappeared and he landed on the hard ground. "There is something wrong with those trees." He explained while arching his back out of pain and shifting from one foot to the other.

"Are you OK?" Hinata asked while watching his pain 'dance.'

"Yeah, but could you look at this place and see what's different about it?" She nodded and soon the veins by her eyes bulged, increasing the chakra flow to her special eyes. She looked at the forest and surrounding area, noticing a large chakra network spreading throughout the forest, connection with all the trees. Focusing on a strange sight, she increased the range of her sight and found that the underground chakra network all lead towards one location far into the distance.

"The whole forest is connected to a chakra network, so it would seem the trees have coursing through them making it hard to walk on them like usual."

"Do normal trees have chakra?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Some, but it is always stable, these have surges pulsating like a heartbeat."

"So we can't run up them unless we can time the surges…"

"Right…" she confirmed happily seeing that he has a better understanding of chakra than many would expect from him. "Um… also the chakra network seems to lead somewhere, should we follow it? It runs in the direction we need to go."

"Sure, why not, we've got plenty of time to investigate." He declared, then grabbed her hand and started leading the way in the general direction Hinata pointed out, without actually knowing exactly where they were going.

* * *

They moved much quicker through the trees and underbrush than they did through the treacherous desert. Despite being much faster, the valley was even larger than they thought and soon found themselves approaching one of the rivers. Hinata estimated that they were barely 1/4th of the way through judging from what they saw from the mountain top.

"Should we set up camp here?" Naruto asked as they stood in a nice clearing by the riverbank. Hinata was staring at the crystal clear river with eyes of hope. She walked to the bank and looked straight to the bottom at the tumbled, smooth river rock. She reached out and splashed her hands through the cool water and turned back to him with a pleased smile.

"This will be great." She replied happily. The hut arrived shortly after with a plume of smoke and Hinata quickly rummaged through her bag for a few items and returned to the bank. Handing Naruto some soap, she proceeded to forcefully push him towards the river.

"Hinata?" He hollered in protest, trying to get away from her. He didn't know what came over her.

"You stink!" She shouted before averting her gaze from her outburst and placed a towel in the grass by the wayside.

"Well you're no bed of roses." He mumbled while slowly walking towards the river.

"I know!" She shouted while blushing and hurrying back to the hut. She had wanted to get cleaned up more than anyone after those long days of travel, but some things had a greater priority.

She scampered into the building and shut the door hoping that he wasn't going to be mad at her like the last outburst she had. When she finally reached the end of her repeating thoughts, the door opened. Hinata turned and immediately squeaked and blushed furiously. With her eyes squeezed shut, she grabbed he clothing and ran out of the hut without opening her eyes. As much as she wanted to look, she knew that she couldn't stay conscious with him dressed in only a towel. Naruto dressed in fresh, clean clothes while Hinata took her time bathing in the river, soothing her aching limbs in the cool water.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Came a shrill scream. Naruto bolted out of the small building and darted towards the river. There was a huge dark red beetle looking creature three times the size of Akamaru splashing through the water. Its long antennae were feeling the air, looking for a nightly snack.

"Rasengan!" The spinning blue orb smashed into the head of the creature, slowly twisting its body until it was hurled backwards, crashing through trees.

"Go away, Go away, Go away!" She continued to scream after the beast was gone. He turned towards her small form, huddled in the water of the river, only illuminated by the large moon hovering above them.

"It's ok Hinata, it's gone." He assured, walking closer to her when she was enveloped on a small sphere of chakra.

"You… GO AWAY!" a wall of water was blasted outward, away from the chakra sphere, tossing Naruto back to the shore, drenching his fresh clothing. Knowing the signs of a pissed off kunoichi from the missions with Sakura, he made himself scarce and started to prepare their dinner in the hut after changing once more.

Hinata meekly entered the hut shortly afterwards, with her hair still wet from her bath, and sat down on the opposite side of the structure. She started to nervously gaze over to see if he was angry with her. He silently handed her some of the cooking food and sat back down across the hut and ate in silence. After finishing the meal, Hinata gathered the dishes and started to wash them. She looked back over her should and saw the blond lying on top of his sleeping bag, staring at the ground.

"I was really scared…" He explained in a gloomy voice. The vision of seeing her getting struck down by pain once again played though his mind. At that point he finally realized why he wanted to forget about her and throw himself into work. She smiled painfully and walked across the room to where he was laying. "I don't want to lose you." She nodded her head and laid down next to him and snuggled up close.

"Just don't surprise me when I'm naked…" She voiced almost inaudibly. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and held her tighter, making her let out a contented sigh. So many years had she wanted to be held like that by him, and now she hoped time would stop forever.

* * *

Obviously time didn't stop; morning came just as it always did, shining down upon the earth. Naruto woke with the flowery smell of shampoo filling his nostrils; he decided then that it was a comforting feeling to wake up next to a woman. When he started to yawn and stretch out, he noticed his left hand was resting on something soft and unusually shaped. He moved his fingers and heard a sound similar to a cat mewling. Curiously, he tried it again with the same resulting sound. Now he was quite intrigued and squeezed harder.

"Don't…" Hinata whined while rolling over in her sleep, pulling herself away from his grasp. He looked at the ceiling with a goofy grin then stood up and headed out side.

"Hinata, wake up and come out here." He called back into the building as he looked out the door in disbelief. She soon appeared next to him still half asleep, but when she caught a glimpse of the forest, she immediately was alert.

"What happened?" She asked; astonished by what she saw.

Right where the river had been the previous night stood a huge, strange tree with no river and no sign that there had ever been one. They were both positive that the river was there a few hours ago. At that point they realized that the sound of the river was still echoing through the area. They walked around to the back to the hut and saw flowing out before them the river which disappeared. Across the bank laid the twisted remains of that giant beetle showing that this was without a doubt the same river they stopped at.

"Maybe…" Naruto started. "…maybe we forgot what side the door was pointed, it was a little hectic with the bug last night.

"It still doesn't feel right." She retorted before turning back and preparing for their journey

They packed dup everything after breakfast was taken care of and sent it off for storage. Hey were facing the river again and started walking towards it like planned.

"Wait." Hinata commanded; while holding up a hand and activating her byakugan. She looked at the surrounding area and waited for the pulses in the underground chakra network. Her eyes widened when the pulse passed and she turned into the direction it came from. Her eyes deactivated and she pointed in the direction of the large tree that appeared the night before.

"We go this way."

"What do you mean Hinata, the river is this way."

"It looks that way, but this forest is generating something like a genjutsu, but it isn't."

"I'm not following you…" He remarked. She thought for a moment on how to explain it to him in a manner he would understand.

"It's like the forest created its own shadow clone. It has substance, but it isn't real."

"So if we hit it hard, it will disappear?" She giggled at his interpretation.

"No, a forest doesn't have feelings, so you can't disrupt its chakra by hitting it."

"Oh, gotcha. If I had you explain everything like this, I wouldn't have failed academy so many times." She smiled shyly at his hidden compliment before starting to walk through the forest, away from the river.

* * *

When dusk approached, they again were happy to see a cozy little clearing by a river, almost too perfect of a place to set up camp. When they got closer it started to confuse the pair.

"Come on, what is this!?" Naruto screamed when he saw the remains of the beetle again. "Are we just going around in circles?" Hinata forced chakra to her eyes and looked out again, noting they were still aiming the right direction and that the pulses were getting stronger, meaning they were getting closer to wherever, or whatever, they were headed towards.

"I don't think we are going in circles, but I'm pretty sure this is why no one has mapped this place… I don't think they ever made it back." They set up camp and were headed in for the night when Naruto grabbed a kunai.

"What are you doing?" Hinata asked in wonder. He just grinned at her and stated scratching an arrow in the ground pointing towards the river, in the direction they were headed, and placed some dead branches over it to obscure it from view.

"There, now this will tell us which way to go." She stayed silent, thinking that it wouldn't work but didn't want to challenge his idea, which in his defense would usually work in a genjutsu since the user would recreate the world, not knowing there was something hidden inside it. They went inside the small hut once more and waited for the morning to come.

* * *

(Notes)

This story is complete, I just need to polish some of the chapters before posting them up. On another note, I have another shorter story I just completed which should be showing up soon.

I'm having troubles with ideas and the manga is having big events which could change the whole setting of stories, so until it settles down a bit and I get cool ideas, I'll probably just make a few little things here and there in the coming months.

(FYI)

I've noticed that The Naruto topic is out of control on this site. Over 100 new stories are added** each day**! This is both awesome and a pain because it seems like there are many more authors, who can barely feed themselves properly, trying to write. I don't want to discourage anyone from writing and I've actually tried to help a few out with ideas, but we need to get quality back in our stories. I don't know if it is just because all the readers here are now 10 year olds, but I mean, really? I've tried reading a few new ones with a large amount of 'favorites' and they are predictable and confusing to read.

Where is the "**new generation"** of authors like Thelow, Manatheron, Tellemicus Sundance, Darth Monkey, S'Tarkan, and of course the irrational and original styling of DragonMan 180 who kept us wondering years ago? These are but a few that inspired me to post what I write and face it, we're getting old and moving on in life. I urge all of you readers who don't review to let all the newbies know what you think of their stories and help them find their voice. I know I can't be here forever, I've got trucks to build, houses to remodel, computers to fix... essentially life to live.

Writing is a huge undertaking if you're not even remotely wanting to be a pro author. I've got 70 hours in just this story; just imagine the hours I have in the longer ones. So make sure to take 30 seconds out of your 'busy lives' to review those stories that get you excited. I'm not fueled by reviews, but most authors are, let them know you enjoy their writing or they may get fed up with it all and leave. You've all been good to me despite the fact that my stories are "fringe style" stories (ones that have unusual ideas) so, thanks for the support. I know I've said it once years ago, but I'm happy to continue writing as long as I have the time and ideas.

...Later


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

Of course, right on time, morning came. Naruto, sure of his plan, eagerly ran to the door like a kid at Christmas. Flinging it open with gusto, he stepped out like he was attempting to scare the forest.

"Ha, ha" he growled in a sneaky voice. His excided grin faded when he saw two identical rivers passing 20 feet on either side of the hut. Hinata stepped beside him and snorted in laughter at the look on his face. He was frantically looking in both directions, still holding his 'creeper' pose from when he jumped out the hut.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a giggle. She stepped out further and looked at the two identical rivers in amazement.

"My arrow." Naruto ran to the pile of branches, uncovering them, only to find three arrows, each pointing a different way. "Ok, now I give up." He moaned in a fake, down voice, earning a chuckle from his female partner.

"Actually," She started, after looking at the arrows "If we know two aren't really what is supposed to be here…" She walked over to the arrows and kicked through the two pointing at the rivers, logically ruling out the obvious direction which left one which was pointed in a completely different direction. "You end up with the correct one. It actually is a good idea Naruto."

"Well, I can't say I've ever heard that phrase before." He commented lightly "It was usually 'don't run in like an idiot Naruto' or 'you're gonna get yourself killed Naruto'" he joked in his best Sakura mocking voice causing Hinata to burst out laughing uncontrollably. He watched in enjoyment at the usually quiet woman laughing hysterically. She caught him gazing at her and the laughing started to subside.

"What?" She asked, expecting there to be something on her face.

"Nothing, it just I've never seen you laugh like that… it was… kind of sexy." She quickly erupted in a blush and shied away from him.

"Don't say that it's embarrassing."

"Well it isn't like anyone can hear me out here…" He sucked in a big breath and grinned wildly "I THINK HINATA IS SEXY!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, the phrase reverberating across the valley. He looked up with a tiny shard of embarrassment coloring his face and looked directly at Hinata while she was hiding her eyes behind her dainty fingers.

"I…I think we s…should go." She stumbled, after being embarrassed so effectively. She couldn't control her embarrassment spreading to her facial features, but her heart leapt like crazy hearing those words. She turned away with the brightest smile and just felt like exploding with joy.

* * *

Three more days passed, twisting and turning to the will of the land. It was an unusual journey, seeing the same sequence of trees repeating itself time and again. Having the feeling that you were running around in circles was definitely getting irritating and very old for the pair; every night, it was the same scene, same river, same everything. Even though they knew it was going to happen again in the morning there was still hope that at one point it would stop. Luckily for them the pulses of the chakra system were so close it was practically a stream, signifying they were reaching the heart of the forest and their final destination.

They headed out, for what they were hoping to be the last morning. Every time they headed out previously, it was in a different direction, but this morning they actually got to cross the river that kept haunting them every morning.

"Are we getting closer Hinata?"

"Almost… I think I see something coming up." A small square building came into view with strange glowing symbols carved into the concrete walls. It wasn't big enough to be a building able to hold anything, but yet it still had a door. As they got closer she could start to see stairs behind the door leading somewhere underground. She came to a stop in front of the building and could tell there was something off about it.

"How much further?"

"We're here."

"Really?" He asked while moving in front to look at her. She watched as he completely passed through the building and was standing in the middle of it. Hinata reached out and watched her hand pass through the concrete walls before deactivating her byakugan.

"Yes, there is a building right where you are standing, yet there isn't one."

"I don't follow…"

"My byakugan can see a building that isn't there, but we can't touch it."

"So how do we open it?"

"I don't know…"

**"Naruto, let me speak to the both of you."**

"Ok, Hinata, Kurama wants to talk to both of us, so… just warning you."

**"This is an entrance created by the Rikudo Sennin. Within the walls of this place was where he separated the ten tails into the nine bijou. It was set up so only he, or his direct descendants, could return to it since you would need his eyes and body to manipulate the door."**

"So we can't enter?" Hinata asked somberly.

**"What do you know of the sage of six paths?" **Kurama asked Hinata.

"Just that he created the ninja world, including ninjutsu. Some say he even created the moon. Also he had two children one was known as sage's eyes and the other as the sage's body… Wait, could that be the answer?"

**"You are bright little one."**

"Where do we find the eyes and body?"

**"The answer is all in lineage. All shinobi who have been granted a bloodline trait are directly descended from the Rikudo Sennin. As you know the brother known as the sage's eyes believed in power and as such his will was passed down through the ages. His descendants valued their power so greatly that they usually gathered together, pooling their power and had superiority complexes. Most notable of these descendants were ones with dojutsu, namely the Uchiha and by relation the Hyuuga." **

"So I can see this building because I am descended from the 'eyes' of the Rikudo Sennin, but I can't touch it because I don't have the body?"

**"Correct, now aside from what your clans will tell you, the real amazing ones were descended from the sage's body. They desired love over war, but they were unmatched in skill with learning and creating jutsu and they had a frightening amount of chakra capacity. Directly descended was the senju clan and the First Hokage. Although the clan disbanded, there were a few offshoots, like the one were involved with; the Uzukami Clan." **

"So Naruto is descended from the body… So why can't he interact with what I see?"

"Because I'm not a Sage." Naruto informed, taking back over his body. "Give me a little while and we can try again." He stood perfectly still for only a few seconds when his eye lids turned orange. His eyes opened, looking over at Hinata with his horizontally slit eyes.

"This is strange, natural energy is overflowing in this forest. It is like sitting in the toad oil. It gathers so quickly." He held out is hand and stepped instinctively toward the building, grabbed the door, and pushed it open with ease. Hinata watched as a hole was seemingly ripped open through space and time, revealing a solid set of stairs.

"Ok let's go!" he shouted as he headed down the stairs with Hinata following him. They descended the spiraling staircase, going down and around almost endlessly. There was an eerie yellowish glow emanating from seals placed every few feet, lighting the way. The whole place gave a spooking feeling to Hinata making her hold to Naruto's side more than ever.

"This place is creepy."

"Aw it isn't that bad." He assured.

They continued down the winding stair case until the finally came to an open room with two doors on opposite walls. Between them was a stone looking pedestal covered in eons of dust and grime.

"Which door Hinata?" She looked from one door to the other, then shook her head.

"I don't know… maybe there is something written on the pedestal." They stepped up to the pedestal and Naruto reached out a wiped away ½ inch worth of dust and dirt, reaching a perfectly smooth surface with a channel running around the perimeter of a 5x8 inch rectangle. A sudden light illuminated the small rectangle and showed strange symbols spreading across it.

"What is this?" Naruto asked looking at the strangely lit surface.

" #$%^&….*&^%$# " sounded a strange voice from the pedestal.

"Now it's really getting creepy." Hinata whined as she separated herself from the object with Naruto's body and was just barely peeking around him.

" #$%^&….Standby…."

"Hey, whoever this is, get out here." Naruto demanded

"Language analysis completed… Initializing visual record."

"Naruto…. There's a face in that pedestal." They focused their attention back to the lit surface where a pair of grey eyes appeared.

"That's the rinnegan" Naruto shouted

"Ahem…." Sounded the voice, drawing attention back to the device. "Welcome to the last will and testament of the planet earth. The planet has been dealt a serious blow by what we call world war three. The battle has been waging for 5 years with no side showing chances for a truce or a winner, although I don't think there are sides anymore." The couple stepped closer and watched clips of pictures and videos flash across the device while the narration continued.

"At one important time, scientists harnessed a new type of energy, which we named chakra, and incorporated it into a hydrogen bomb as an accelerant. Five countries launched these new weapons at each other and something inconceivable happened, when they exploded, the blast wipe out have of the planet and in the aftermath, the expelled energy took the form of a great hideous beast." Hinata looked frightened when she saw the death and destruction depicted on the device.

"The beast rampaged for another 5 years destroying everything except for one country. We finally came up with a way to stop the demon but it will forever change the earth…. This is the end of chapter one. As you proceed through this facility, more will be revealed. Please pick up the digital tablet from the pedestal and follow the instructions."

"What? Right now!? It was just getting interesting." Naruto shouted. He was then confused as to what device the guy was talking about. Just grasping at straws, Naruto reached out to the pedestal and pried out the rectangular device and inspected its miniscule thickness. A sleek lightweight metal surrounded the device and was curved for handling comfort.

"Hinata, it's like one of those viewing monitors, but without the huge wires." He declared and handed the device to the young woman. She nervously took the device and inspected it herself and was able to easily reason that it posed no real danger.

"So now what?" She asked, still looking at the sleek screen. At that moment it lit up again.

"You have two choices before you…" it read. "…The door to your right signifies power through strength and the door to your left signifies power through love… choose wisely." The pair took a glance at both doors and Hinata didn't have any reservations as she started walking to the left door. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't know which to choose.

"Are you sure?" He asked her. She just looked at him with a smile.

"Positive… did you get stronger for yourself or to help others?" When she put it that way, there really was only one answer. The both stood in front of the left door and took a deep breath before opening it and passing through into a dim corridor.

"Initializing system activation." The dim yellowish lights brightened considerably, taking most of the eerie creepiness out of the halls.

"Please continue down to the end of the hallway while I continue the history lesson… We figured out how to harness chakra in new ways by writing seals in particular shapes and designs. The more complex in design, the greater the power it could produce; this was the principle used with the weapon, but this time we figured how to write them so it wouldn't only explode. We managed to write a seal that allowed actually placing chakra into people. Our plan was to seal the chakra released from those weapons which recreated that demon, into the rest of the populace, giving them increased life force." Naruto and Hinata continued walking down the long hallway, not taking their eyes off of the history being told to them.

"At first the technique worked perfectly, but the rage, anger and pain held within the remaining population spilled out with the chakra, creating a different yet just as fearsome demon but strangely this one had ten tails. This time we devised multiple sealing designs and decided to seal the demon into a single person in hopes that this one could keep their emotions in check and keep the demon sealed… I volunteered to be that person…"

The recording stopped when they reached the end of the hall and a door opened to their right. Seeing it as an invitation, they stepped inside and found a small room with a small bed against one wall and an even smaller bathroom on the other. They had seen prison cells bigger than this one… The pair then jumped when the door slammed shut and realized there was no way out. The lights dimmed to where you could barely see, but would make sleeping much easier.

"We will continue in the morning as long as you both can survive the night." The tablet informed, then went blank. The pair was confused about what would be so difficult with spending the night in a room, but shrugged it off casually. They dug into their small pack of dried provisions and had a bit to eat before snuggling into each other and nodding off for the night.

* * *

The following morning they awoke with the sound of the door opening into the hall way.

"Good morning, I trust you slept well." Sounded the tablet, lit up with the eyes of the rinnegan.

"Once you are ready, head out and follow the arrows.

"It almost feels like prison." Naruto commented

"When were you in prison?" Hinata inquired, causing Naruto to look nervous

"Uh…. During a mission… let's just forget about it, kay?"

She was suspicious of this nervous side, but decided to leave it be. It had been a while since they last had a situation between them and being in the heart of a strange facility wasn't conducive to any argument. They got prepared and followed the hallway to a large room covered in a mess of vines and weeds.

"Here is our luxurious garden, feel free to eat all you want and then move to the next hallway when you are ready."

"I'm thinking he didn't expect someone to come here after so long." Hinata mentioned while they climbed over the weeds, trying to make it to the other side of the building. At this particular moment, they were glad that they took large amounts of food pills along with them; otherwise they would be fighting a large case of malnutrition by the time they managed to leave.

"Let's continue, shall we?" The tablet started once they arrived in the next hall.

"This new seal effectively trapped the ten tailed beast within my body, but in doing so it drastically changed me. I received these eyes that could see things I only could dream about and with them I found I could learn things equally as foreign, it was almost like that beast gave me knowledge of nature beyond what humans could possibly learn in centuries."

"I decided to use these new powers to create peace in the world by eliminating technology and teaching others how to use the chakra we now all held; this was the beginning of the ninja system. Everything was all and well until I realized my life was shortened by the beast and at the time of my death it would escape to once again wreak havoc on the earth. There for I took it upon myself to create nine beings, to split the beast into, in hopes that they would allow for all the hatred to be eliminated when their host died. That is the end of what truly happened on the earth."

"Ok Hinata, could you explain everything this guy said? I don't understand any of it." Hinata smiled, she should have known that most of it would go in one ear and out the other.

"Sure Naruto… Earth is much bigger than we realize since we are just living on a portion of it, and was greatly advanced. A long time ago a war involved the entire world meaning it would be like both sides of our last war fighting against 4 armies of the same size. They then created a massive explosion that created the ten tails and wiped out everyone on all but our continent. To trap the ten tails the Rikudo Sennin sealed it away, simultaneously creating our chakra systems and bloodline limits. He then created the ninja way of life and created a temporary peace. Before he died, so he could keep the ten tails sealed, he broke it down into 9 creatures, or the bijou."

"What do you mean by advanced?"

"These things." She waved the small tablet in the air. "I'm guessing the monitors we have in konoha are relics from the past, many decade older technology than this tablet. If the whole world all had these things, it would certainly be a seemingly magical place."

"It doesn't really seem possible though…" Naruto thought while tapping his fingers on his face.

"I know, but to normal villagers a rasengan doesn't seem possible."

"I suppose you're right." The hall stopped and they found themselves in a short, wide room with three doors, each was labeled with the number '5' and a final door at the end of the corridor.

"Should you manage to figure out this lock, I will answer any questions you have. Should you choose to leave, the path is open, should you stay, the rules are simple. You must figure out the combination by entering the doors, you can only use each door twice except you may use one of them three times. I will only give you one hint… it's all about time."

"So what do you think Hinata, I don't think we have enough information on how to fix the ninja system so we quit feeding hate. I think we should try the doors and figure this thing out."

"Hmm…" She agreed "I have a few questions I want answered too."

"Alright…" They both looked at the doors and noticed they shimmered and moved like a wall of water. Naruto walked up to the center one and touched the surface. It puddled and rippled around his hand like water, but when he his hand out it wasn't even wet. "This is amazing! It feels like water but it is much colder and you don't get wet."

"That is amazing…" She agrees, not wanting to go near it.

"Yeah, I'm going to step through this one to see what is on the other side. Wait here for me; I'll just check it out." Naruto placed his hand back into the water like substance before stepping directly through the door. Hinata watched as the last of his clothing disappeared into the surface.

* * *

(Author Notes)

I've got a poll up dealing with ages and how long You've been reading on this site - I urge you to click away so I can get a better feeling for my readers.

...Later


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Final

* * *

She happily stood in front of the three doors, waiting for his return. It seemed like she stood there for hours, waiting and waiting, so long in fact that she sat on the floor against the wall to wait some more. She looked around the room and noticed various markings on the door and something that looked like two digital clocks. One had a fixed number 13:0:0.00 and the other one had 00:0:0.11 and was counting upwards slowly. The marking above the door was just three little boxes. The one Naruto had entered had one box lit up in red, so she figured it was an indicator of how many times a door had been used. She started to get tired and despite all efforts to stay awake for Naruto to comeback, she fell asleep.

She woke up with a painful crick in her neck. Looking around she noticed the clock now said 00:0:0.67 and Naruto was nowhere to be seen. She didn't want to think about where he had gone and repositioned herself more comfortably and went back to sleep.

* * *

00:0:1.03

* * *

Hinata woke again and was upset to not find Naruto there with her like he had been for the past few months. She was truly getting addicted to his presence and couldn't stand being without him. She walked up to the door he disappeared through and pushed her hand out to touch watery substance, yet when it contacted it she found it was more like glass than water and refused to let her hand pass through like it did Naruto's. Her eyes started to water while her mind started asking 'What if he doesn't come back.' She quickly wiped away her tears and ran back to the overgrown garden and angrily started using her juken style on everything in discriminately. Although it was designed as an attack on chakra, it was still quite effective if used in great quantities.

* * *

00:0:3.48

* * *

It has been close to three days now and Hinata decided earlier that she would tend to the large garden to help pass the time, she was determined to not leave until Naruto returned since she promised not to. Every half hour she would return to the room for 10 minutes to see if he had arrived and would proceed to be disappointed when he didn't return. She would always head back to the garden to train away her frustrations afterwards.

* * *

00:1:1.36

* * *

Almost a week had passed and the garden was starting to look like a proper one. The massive amounts of nature chakra flowing through the area helped the plants grow at an incredible rate. Hinata was sitting down to enjoy her freshly grown meal and had a small tear running down her cheek while she looked at a tiny flame flickering.

"Naruto… I was hoping to have you this time… Happy Birthday to me…" She muttered sadly and blew out the candle with the same wish she had each year, to spend the next with Naruto.

* * *

00:5:0.10

* * *

Hinata was curled up in the room with the doors, leaning back on the wall. Her tear streaked face was buried between her legs as she sobbed.

"Where are you!?" She screamed with a voice hoarse from yelling and crying. "Naruto!... WHY!?" She continued crying while missing a hand coming out from the door way, waving around and retreating back inside.

"Hey it's the same!... Hinata?" Naruto had stepped out of the door and saw his female partner sitting on the ground with her watery eyes looking back at him. She jumped to her feet and ran to him. She tackled him to the ground and immediately started pounding on his chest while he was dazed and confused.

"You said you were just going to check and be back!" She stopped beating him and sobbed into his chest.

"Hinata I…" In a split second, he saw two pearly eyes descend upon him. His eyes widened when he felt a soft and gentle feeling on his lips, lightly pressing into his flesh. He wrapped his arm around her small body, holding her tightly as they melted into their first kiss. When she finally broke apart, his eyes opened and saw a beautiful face staring down at him with rosy cheeks and a smile under the streaks left by her tears.

"I liked the kiss, but I don't understand; I just stepped through the door."

"That can't be… it's been about a month. I was so worried you weren't coming back and I couldn't go through the door and… and." She couldn't say anymore as the frustrations were being taken away with the hand which was gently stroking her back.

"Sorry, I didn't know… Did you figure out how this lock thing works/" She laid back down on his chest and looked over at the wall of doors, she noticed that the red square had now turned green and also lit up a green block above the final door. She thought about it for a while and then looked over at the clock still ticking away.

"I have a theory… We have to activate seven doors to open the final one but we can't go past the time on the board. Each door has a different time value and only one person is allowed through at a time. I think each door corresponds with each column. The clock also counts strangely. It only counts to five before moving the next column, so by that figuring, the door you went into was close to five weeks so the other two should be five days and five months they aren't exact since it counts five days per week and five weeks per month, but it seems that is how it goes."

"Really?"

"I think so, but the real problem is the person that has to wait. It will be about a year's worth of waiting."

"Yeah… After all the waiting you have done for me, I think this time I'll do the waiting so you don't have to."

"But…" He stopped her with a simple gesture.

"No, I've decided."

"Fine, but I'll leave tomorrow, I want to spend a little time with you." The two had lunch together in the restored garden, then headed off to bed.

"I've missed this." She told him as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"I'm sure I'll miss it too." He replied softly in her ear, making her shiver.

"You know…" She started with a growing blush. "… I don't mind if you hold me like that morning on our way here."

"What do you mean?" She felt his body stiffen slightly, which made her snicker while she pulled his hand up to her chest.

"Just don't squeeze them hard." She smiled as she felt his hand gently resting on her chest. Being a guy, there was no way he could pass up the invitation.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what's gotten into you?" He asked. She giggled at his question and held her hand over his and held it tighter to her chest.

"Love."

* * *

Early the next morning, the pair sat down to calculate which doors to activate to get to the set time. The math was simple enough that Naruto was even able to follow along with ease. They just needed to activate all the doors plus one extra 5 day door for a total of 12 months and 3 weeks. They would then have to wait a total of 2 more weeks until the door would open, minus the time currently spent. After much argument, it was decided that Hinata would go through the remaining doors, one right after the other, to ensure they didn't get sidetracked. It would be hard on Naruto to be trapped in the facility for that long, but he decided that he'd rather take the loneliness over letting Hinata experience it since he was kind of used to it. They hugged briefly before she headed through the door.

* * *

12:3:0.98

* * *

Hinata's small hand poked through the event horizon. It had been all of a few seconds in her mind since she stepped foot into the first door. She decided to take them in order of least time to greatest, just to be sure her theory panned out. On the second to last door, she heard yelling and loud smashing sounds and against her better judgment, she went through the last one, hoping it wasn't something bad.

She stepped out of the portal and looked over the hall. The lights were flickering, but everything seemed in order, including all the lights above the last door were lit. She looked at the timer and was happy to see it was still under the 13 mark. She jumped suddenly when she was pulled into a strong hug. She turned and saw Naruto's bright blue eyes, slightly covered from his longer hair. She smiled and was about to say something when he caught her lips with his, pulling her into a deep and slightly awkward kiss. She didn't mind one bit that he was in need of practice in that department, especially since it looked like we was definitely willing to train in that matter.

"Naruto…" she quietly moaned, after he let her lips go, and slowly opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said in a somber voice.

"For what?" She asked, surprise by his apology.

"After all this time waiting, it finally made sense. I have done wrong by you for making you wait all these years… I missed you."

"No more apologizing, you're here now and I love you."

"I love you too, Hinata." He pulled her in once more and landed a much more refined kiss on her soft lips. Hinata felt so relieved and felt so much love that she would have gladly waited another 5 years for this contact.

* * *

They abruptly pulled apart when a loud beeping sound was heard, drawing their attention to the timer on the wall. It started ticking upwards at an alarming rate before stopping at 13:0:0.00. A loud click was heard at the last door before it slid open into a dark room. Reluctantly they walked inside as a dim light came on, outlining a man's silhouette standing before them. His form was faint and Naruto immediately recognized it as chakra remains.

"Welcome my sons… I have waited for your arrival." The man announced with his back still towards them.

"Um…" Hinata mumbled in her sweet voice, causing the man to whirl around.

"W…who are you?" He asked, staring at the pair with his grey, swirled eyes.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and this is my girlfriend Hinata." He proudly announced, causing a blush across the woman's face.

"How did you get down here? Where are my sons?" He questioned, looking quite worried

"We came through the door and followed what this tablet thing told us. It said you could answer questions." Naruto informed.

"But no ordinary people can be down here."

"Um… excuse me, but are you really the Rikudo Sennin who created jutsu?" Hinata asked, hoping to clarify some things.

"I am the discoverer of chakra, but nothing called jutsu?" he told the pair. Naruto looked at him, still a bit confused, but felt a rumbling in his stomach from his friendly demon.

"Do you know the name Kurama?"

"The embodiment of the hatred and fear of disasters who took the form of a fox. Of course I know that name, but how do you?"

"Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobuu, Goku, Kokuou, Saiken, Gyuuki and Kurama. The nine bijou have left me to fulfill my desire to rid the ninja world of the pain and suffering caused by war. We came here to find more information on how." The Rikudo Sennin slumped into a chair, staring at his hand.

"How long?" HE asked, realizing that time had gone by further than he anticipated.

"I don't know…" Hinata started but was interrupted by a deep raspy voice.

**"Over a thousand." **Boomed the voice of the kyuubi coming from Naruto's lips

"Kurama?" The Sennin asked, surprised to hear his voice

**"Indeed."**

"So my sons?"

**"Fought each other after your death… peace never lasted beyond that generation. The bijou were used as weapons of war."** The sennin shook his head and continued staring at his hands in disbelief.

"They… they were supposed to end it after my passing, to shape the world for the better."

**"The one was corrupted by power."**

"I see…"

"Um…" Hinata interrupted. "What was the plan you had?" The man looked up at the young Hyuuga and tried to smile.

"Initially it was to undo my chakra experiment, eliminating it all from this world again. In my time technology was power and those without it tried to take it by force. This was the cause of the third world war. Previous wars were fought over land when your status was determined by the size of your estate. Unfortunately now…

**"…chakra has become a part of humans."**

"Correct. It had to be done within a single generation otherwise it would integrate into the circulatory system. We tested mice with chakra and came up with that conclusion."

"What can we do then?" Hinata asked.

"Start the system anyways. I don't know what will happen, but I do know that it won't remove the chakra in your bodies since it is integrated now. It should remove excess chakra from the world and integrate it back into the earth. This should return the bijou to their original lifeless form, hopefully giving some peace across the world."

"If it can help Kurama, let's do it." Naruto said with happiness. Ever since the battle with the bijou, he had wanted to figure a way to set them all free without the worry of being controlled. All the hatred against him and his fellow jinchuriki would never have to be felt again.

* * *

The pair were shown to the room where the system resided. Not quite what they were expecting, it was a small room with cables running outwards from it in all directions, pulsing with chakra, the same as was seen running under the forest, feeding the large body.

"Switch this lever and it will activate the system." Without so much as a thought, Naruto threw the switch, much to Hinata's dismay. She thought that they should have first studied the device, or at least thought about it.

A wave of energy starting pouring into the device and tendrils of red chakra were being pulled from the blonde. He started screaming as the chakra was ripped from his body and Hinata was in horror at seeing him in pain until a sharp pain shot through her head, causing her to pass out on the floor. The waves of chakra finally subsided and Naruto fell to the ground next to Hinata.

Some time had passed since they both fell unconscious and they had yet to wake until they were forcibly aroused from their state with a small feeling of being licked. They opened their eyes and the blurriness eventually faded to the sight of a small fox, twitching its tail in front of them.

"Kurama?" Naruto asked. The fox just yipped happily before licking them both again and darted down the hall way towards the exit of the facility.

"We did it Hinata." He yelled before kissing her and jumping around the room like an idiot.

"Yes, we did it, but I feel weird now." She mentioned while holding her head in her hands

"Are you OK?"

"I… I don't think so." She moaned as the pain returned to her.

"Just hold on Hinata!" He shouted before summoning a small toad. He tried for a bigger one, but apparently without Kurama, his chakra reserves are a little lower than usual. He had the toad reverse summon him and Hinata to the Hokage tower and was there in just shy of an instant. Tsunade nearly had a heart attack after seeing him arrive, holding Hinata close while she moaned in pain.

"Bring her over here." Tsunade commanded. She started to examine the young Hyuuga when the door burst open with Shizune's entrance.

"The whole Hyuuga Estate has passed out, so have some other ninja, it's an epidemic!" She shouted with fear.

* * *

The entire shinobi world experienced the same effect at the same time; a global event. Various ninja just fell to the ground, unconscious, whether it was on a mission or just at home cooking. A few weeks later, it was determined that a simultaneous event occurred, the side effect of the event resulted in the stripping away of all the kekkai genkkai. There was no longer a source for arrogance for those with it or desire for those who want it. Everyone was left without a heavy advantage or disadvantage, all on equal terms for the effort put in.

Most ninja clans disbanded, The Hyuuga clan in particular. They fell to pieces without their doujitsu supporting their arrogance. There was nothing holding their members together in the compound, nothing for the caged bird seal to protect, so there was a mass exodus. Everyone that had to avoid relationships with outsiders ran to the people they cared for, and there were just as many that just wanted to see the world without fear of someone wanting to experiment on their eyes. Of course this left Hinata free to do what she pleases without the influence of the clan.

She found it difficult to adjust to her new lifestyle without the byakugan in the passing years. Not that she liked her clan's eyes in the first place, but it was different knowing your sight was limited now and wouldn't help you in a pinch. She was even more impressed how others like Naruto managed to fight on par with her and Neji without the advantage. She adjusted well, but the part that was hardest for her was not being able to peak on Naruto anymore, although now living happily with him in the Hokage mansion, she really only had to ask.

* * *

Many things can happen in five years...

But...

It doesn't matter what happened five years ago or what could happen in the five years to come; what really matters is what happens now... It's called life; live it.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

Next story will be up in a few minutes.

...Later


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